CIS Microsoft 365

Foundations Benchmark

v1.5.0 - 08-31-2022

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Table of Contents 
Terms of Use ................................................................................................................. 1 
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... 2 
Overview ........................................................................................................................ 5 
Intended Audience ................................................................................................................. 5 
Consensus Guidance ............................................................................................................ 6 
Typographical Conventions .................................................................................................. 7 
Recommendation Definitions ....................................................................................... 8 
Title ......................................................................................................................................... 8 
Assessment Status ................................................................................................................ 8 
Automated .............................................................................................................................................. 8 
Manual ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 
Profile ..................................................................................................................................... 8 
Description ............................................................................................................................. 8 
Rationale Statement .............................................................................................................. 8 
Impact Statement ................................................................................................................... 9 
Audit Procedure ..................................................................................................................... 9 
Remediation Procedure ......................................................................................................... 9 
Default Value .......................................................................................................................... 9 
References ............................................................................................................................. 9 
CIS Critical Security Controls
®
 (CIS Controls
®
) ................................................................... 9 
Additional Information........................................................................................................... 9 
Profile Definitions .................................................................................................................10 
Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................11 
Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 12 
1 Account / Authentication ..................................................................................................12 
1.1 Azure Active Directory .................................................................................................................. 12 
1.1.1 (L1) Ensure multifactor authentication is enabled for all users in administrative roles (Automated) ... 13 
1.1.2 (L2) Ensure multifactor authentication is enabled for all users in all roles (Manual) ........................... 16 
1.1.3 (L1) Ensure that between two and four global admins are designated (Automated) .......................... 19 
1.1.4 (L1) Ensure self-service password reset is enabled (Manual) ............................................................ 23 
1.1.5 (L1) Ensure that password protection is enabled for Active Directory (Manual) ................................. 25 
1.1.6 (L1) Enable Conditional Access policies to block legacy authentication (Automated) ........................ 28 
1.1.7 (L1) Ensure that password hash sync is enabled for hybrid deployments (Manual) .......................... 32 
1.1.8 (L2) Enable Azure AD Identity Protection sign-in risk policies (Manual) ............................................ 35 
1.1.9 (L2) Enable Azure AD Identity Protection user risk policies (Manual) ................................................ 37 
1.1.10 (L2) Use Just In Time privileged access to Office 365 roles (Manual) ............................................. 39 
1.1.11 (L1) Ensure Security Defaults is disabled on Azure Active Directory (Manual) ................................ 43 

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1.12 (L2) Ensure that only organizationally managed/approved public groups exist (Manual)................. 45 
1.13 (L2) Ensure that collaboration invitations are sent to allowed domains only (Manual) ..................... 48 
1.14 (L2) Ensure that LinkedIn contact synchronization is disabled. (Manual)......................................... 50 
1.15 (L1) Ensure Sign-in frequency is enabled and browser sessions are not persistent for Administrative 
users. (Manual) ........................................................................................................................................... 52 
1.16 (L2) Ensure the option to remain signed in is hidden (Manual) ........................................................ 55 
2 (L1) Ensure modern authentication for Exchange Online is enabled (Automated) ................................ 57 
3 (L1) Ensure modern authentication for SharePoint applications is required (Automated) ..................... 60 
4 (L1) Ensure that Office 365 Passwords Are Not Set to Expire (Automated) ......................................... 62 
5 (L1) Ensure Administrative accounts are separate and cloud-only (Manual) ........................................ 65 
Application Permissions ...................................................................................................67 
1 (L2) Ensure third party integrated applications are not allowed (Manual) ............................................. 68 
2 (L2) Ensure calendar details sharing with external users is disabled (Automated) ............................... 70 
3 (L2) Ensure Safe Links for Office Applications is Enabled (Automated) ............................................... 72 
4 (L2) Ensure Safe Attachments for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams is Enabled (Automated)
 .................................................................................................................................................................... 77 
5 (L2) Ensure Office 365 SharePoint infected files are disallowed for download (Automated)................. 79 
6 (L2) Ensure user consent to apps accessing company data on their behalf is not allowed (Automated)
 .................................................................................................................................................................... 81 
7 (L2) Ensure the admin consent workflow is enabled (Automated) ........................................................ 84 
8 (L2) - Ensure users installing Outlook add-ins is not allowed (Automated) ........................................... 86 
9 (L1) - Ensure users installing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint add-ins is not allowed (Manual) ............... 89 
10 (L1) Ensure internal phishing protection for Forms is enabled (Manual) ............................................. 91 
11 (L1) Ensure that Sways cannot be shared with people outside of your organization (Manual) ........... 93 
Data Management ..............................................................................................................95 
1 (L2) Ensure the customer lockbox feature is enabled (Automated) ...................................................... 96 
2 (L2) Ensure SharePoint Online Information Protection policies are set up and used (Manual) ............. 98 
3 (L2) Ensure external domains are not allowed in Skype or Teams (Manual) ...................................... 100 
4 (L1) Ensure DLP policies are enabled (Automated) ............................................................................ 102 
5 (L1) Ensure DLP policies are enabled for Microsoft Teams (Manual) ................................................. 104 
6 (L2) Ensure that external users cannot share files, folders, and sites they do not own (Automated) .. 107 
7 (L2) Ensure external file sharing in Teams is enabled for only approved cloud storage services 
(Manual) .................................................................................................................................................... 109 
Email Security / Exchange Online .................................................................................. 113 
1 (L1) Ensure the Common Attachment Types Filter is enabled (Automated) ....................................... 114 
2 (L1) Ensure Exchange Online Spam Policies are set to notify administrators (Automated) ................ 116 
3 (L1) Ensure all forms of mail forwarding are blocked and/or disabled (Automated) ............................ 119 
4 (L1) Ensure mail transport rules do not whitelist specific domains (Automated) ................................. 124 
5 (L2) Ensure Safe Attachments policy is enabled (Automated) ............................................................ 126 
6 (L1) Ensure that an anti-phishing policy has been created (Automated) ............................................. 128 
7 (L1) Ensure that DKIM is enabled for all Exchange Online Domains (Automated) ............................. 131 
8 (L1) Ensure that SPF records are published for all Exchange Domains (Manual) .............................. 134 
9 (L1) Ensure DMARC Records for all Exchange Online domains are published (Manual) ................... 136 
10 (L1) Ensure notifications for internal users sending malware is Enabled (Automated) ..................... 138 
11 (L2) Ensure MailTips are enabled for end users (Automated) ........................................................... 141 
Auditing ............................................................................................................................ 142 
1 (L1) Ensure Microsoft 365 audit log search is Enabled (Automated) .................................................. 143 
2 (L1) Ensure mailbox auditing for all users is Enabled (Automated) ..................................................... 145 
3 (L1) Ensure the Azure AD 'Risky sign-ins' report is reviewed at least weekly (Manual) ...................... 149 
4 (L2) Ensure the Application Usage report is reviewed at least weekly (Manual) ................................. 151 
5 (L1) Ensure the self-service password reset activity report is reviewed at least weekly (Manual) ...... 152 

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6 (L1) Ensure user role group changes are reviewed at least weekly (Manual) ..................................... 153 
7 (L1) Ensure mail forwarding rules are reviewed at least weekly (Manual) .......................................... 155 
8 (L1) Ensure all security threats in the Threat protection status report are reviewed at least weekly 
(Manual) .................................................................................................................................................... 157 
9 (L1) Ensure the Account Provisioning Activity report is reviewed at least weekly (Manual) ................ 159 
10 (L1) Ensure non-global administrator role group assignments are reviewed at least weekly (Manual)
 .................................................................................................................................................................. 161 
11 (L1) Ensure the spoofed domains report is reviewed weekly (Automated) ....................................... 162 
12 (L2) Ensure Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is Enabled (Manual) ............................................... 164 
13 (L1) Ensure the report of users who have had their email privileges restricted due to spamming is 
reviewed (Manual) .................................................................................................................................... 166 
14 (L1) Ensure Guest Users are reviewed at least biweekly (Manual) ................................................... 168 
Storage ............................................................................................................................. 170 
1 (L2) Ensure document sharing is being controlled by domains with whitelist or blacklist (Automated)171 
2 (L2) Block OneDrive for Business sync from unmanaged devices (Automated) ................................. 173 
3 (L1) Ensure expiration time for external sharing links is set (Automated) ........................................... 176 
4 (L2) Ensure external storage providers available in Outlook on the Web are restricted (Automated) . 178 
Mobile Device Management ............................................................................................ 180 
1 (L1) Ensure mobile device management policies are set to require advanced security configurations 
(Manual) .................................................................................................................................................... 181 
2 (L1) Ensure that mobile device password reuse is prohibited (Manual) .............................................. 183 
3 (L1) Ensure that mobile devices are set to never expire passwords (Manual) .................................... 185 
4 (L1) Ensure that users cannot connect from devices that are jail broken or rooted (Manual) ............. 187 
5 (L2) Ensure mobile devices are set to wipe on multiple sign-in failures to prevent brute force 
compromise (Manual) ............................................................................................................................... 189 
6 (L1) Ensure that mobile devices require a minimum password length to prevent brute force attacks 
(Manual) .................................................................................................................................................... 191 
7 (L1) Ensure devices lock after a period of inactivity to prevent unauthorized access (Manual) .......... 193 
8 (L1) Ensure that mobile device encryption is enabled to prevent unauthorized access to mobile data 
(Manual) .................................................................................................................................................... 195 
9 (L1) Ensure that mobile devices require complex passwords (Type = Alphanumeric) (Manual) ......... 197 
10 (L1) Ensure that mobile devices require complex passwords (Simple Passwords = Blocked) (Manual)
 .................................................................................................................................................................. 199 
11 (L1) Ensure that devices connecting have AV and a local firewall enabled (Manual) ....................... 201 
12 (L2) Ensure mobile device management policies are required for email profiles (Manual) ............... 203 
13 (L1) Ensure mobile devices require the use of a password (Manual) ............................................... 205 
Appendix: Summary Table ....................................................................................... 207 
Appendix: Change History ....................................................................................... 214 
 
 

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Overview

All CIS Benchmarks focus on technical configuration settings used to maintain and/or

increase the security of the addressed technology, and they should be used in

conjunction with other essential cyber hygiene tasks like:

• Monitoring the base operating system for vulnerabilities and quickly updating with

the latest security patches

• Monitoring applications and libraries for vulnerabilities and quickly updating with

the latest security patches

In the end, the CIS Benchmarks are designed as a key component of a comprehensive

cybersecurity program.

This document, Security Configuration Benchmark for Microsoft 365, provides

prescriptive guidance for establishing a secure configuration posture for Microsoft 365

Cloud offerings running on any OS. This guide was tested against Microsoft 365, and

includes recommendations for Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for

Business, Skype/Teams, Azure Active Directory, and inTune.

To ensure all PowerShell related cmdlets work in your tenant please download the

latest versions of the PowerShell modules. Commands from this benchmark were

tested using the following modules:

• ExchangeOnlineManagement 2.0.6-Preview6

• AzureADPreview 2.0.2.149

• MSOnline 1.1.183.66

• MicrosoftTeams 4.3.0

• Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell 16.0.22615.12000

To obtain the latest version of this guide, please visit http://cisecurity.org. If you have

questions, comments, or have identified ways to improve this guide, please write us at

feedback@cisecurity.org.

Intended Audience

This benchmark is intended for system and application administrators, security

specialists, auditors, help desk, and platform deployment personnel who plan to

develop, deploy, assess, or secure solutions that incorporate Microsoft 365. Where

possible audit and remediation guidance is provided using both PowerShell and

relevant Admin Centers, using either method is acceptable when attempting to

determine a Pass or Fail for a particular recommendation.

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Consensus Guidance

This CIS Benchmark was created using a consensus review process comprised of a

global community of subject matter experts. The process combines real world

experience with data-based information to create technology specific guidance to assist

users to secure their environments. Consensus participants provide perspective from a

diverse set of backgrounds including consulting, software development, audit and

compliance, security research, operations, government, and legal.

Each CIS Benchmark undergoes two phases of consensus review. The first phase

occurs during initial Benchmark development. During this phase, subject matter experts

convene to discuss, create, and test working drafts of the Benchmark. This discussion

occurs until consensus has been reached on Benchmark recommendations. The

second phase begins after the Benchmark has been published. During this phase, all

feedback provided by the Internet community is reviewed by the consensus team for

incorporation in the Benchmark. If you are interested in participating in the consensus

process, please visit https://workbench.cisecurity.org/.

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Typographical Conventions

The following typographical conventions are used throughout this guide:

Convention

Meaning

Stylized Monospace font

Used for blocks of code, command, and script

examples. Text should be interpreted exactly as

presented.

Monospace font

Used for inline code, commands, or examples.

Text should be interpreted exactly as presented.

Italic texts set in angle brackets denote a variable

requiring substitution for a real value.

Italic font

Used to denote the title of a book, article, or other

publication.

Note

Additional information or caveats

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Recommendation Definitions

The following defines the various components included in a CIS recommendation as

applicable. If any of the components are not applicable it will be noted or the

component will not be included in the recommendation.

Title

Concise description for the recommendation's intended configuration.

Assessment Status

An assessment status is included for every recommendation. The assessment status

indicates whether the given recommendation can be automated or requires manual

steps to implement. Both statuses are equally important and are determined and

supported as defined below:

Automated

Represents recommendations for which assessment of a technical control can be fully

automated and validated to a pass/fail state. Recommendations will include the

necessary information to implement automation.

Manual

Represents recommendations for which assessment of a technical control cannot be

fully automated and requires all or some manual steps to validate that the configured

state is set as expected. The expected state can vary depending on the environment.

Profile

A collection of recommendations for securing a technology or a supporting platform.

Most benchmarks include at least a Level 1 and Level 2 Profile. Level 2 extends Level 1

recommendations and is not a standalone profile. The Profile Definitions section in the

benchmark provides the definitions as they pertain to the recommendations included for

the technology.

Description

Detailed information pertaining to the setting with which the recommendation is

concerned. In some cases, the description will include the recommended value.

Rationale Statement

Detailed reasoning for the recommendation to provide the user a clear and concise

understanding on the importance of the recommendation.

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Impact Statement

Any security, functionality, or operational consequences that can result from following

the recommendation.

Audit Procedure

Systematic instructions for determining if the target system complies with the

recommendation

Remediation Procedure

Systematic instructions for applying recommendations to the target system to bring it

into compliance according to the recommendation.

Default Value

Default value for the given setting in this recommendation, if known. If not known, either

not configured or not defined will be applied.

References

Additional documentation relative to the recommendation.

CIS Critical Security Controls

(CIS Controls

)

The mapping between a recommendation and the CIS Controls is organized by CIS

Controls version, Safeguard, and Implementation Group (IG). The Benchmark in its

entirety addresses the CIS Controls safeguards of (v7) “5.1 - Establish Secure

Configurations” and (v8) '4.1 - Establish and Maintain a Secure Configuration Process”

so individual recommendations will not be mapped to these safeguards.

Additional Information

Supplementary information that does not correspond to any other field but may be

useful to the user.

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Profile Definitions

The following configuration profiles are defined by this Benchmark:

• E3 Level 1

Items in this profile apply to customer deployments of Microsoft M365 with an E3

license and intend to:

o be practical and prudent;

o provide a clear security benefit; and

o not inhibit the utility of the technology beyond acceptable means.

• E3 Level 2

This profile extends the "E3 Level 1" profile. Items in this profile exhibit one or

more of the following characteristics and is focused on customer deployments of

Microsoft M365 E3:

o are intended for environments or use cases where security is paramount

o acts as defense in depth measure

o may negatively inhibit the utility or performance of the technology.

• E5 Level 1

Items in this profile extend what is provided by the "E3 Level 1" profile for

customer deployments of Microsoft M365 with an E5 license and intend to:

o be practical and prudent;

o provide a clear security benefit; and

o not inhibit the utility of the technology beyond acceptable means.

• E5 Level 2

This profile extends the "E3 Level 1" and "E5 Level 1" profiles. Items in this

profile exhibit one or more of the following characteristics and is focused on

customer deployments of Microsoft M365 E5:

o are intended for environments or use cases where security is paramount

o acts as defense in depth measure

o may negatively inhibit the utility or performance of the technology.

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Acknowledgements

This Benchmark exemplifies the great things a community of users, vendors, and

subject matter experts can accomplish through consensus collaboration. The CIS

community thanks the entire consensus team with special recognition to the following

individuals who contributed greatly to the creation of this guide:

Contributor

Clifford Moten

Brian Greidanus

Daniel Stutz

Viktor Gazdag

Richard Handley

Lewis Hardy

Jennifer Jarose

Mike Owens

Mack Bodie

Shelby Kiger

Gururaj Pandurangi

Daniel Stutz

Juan Nieto

Editor

Dan Menicucci

Wacey Lanier

Cody McLees

Caleb Eifert

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Recommendations

1 Account / Authentication

1.1 Azure Active Directory

Section on AAD as the underlying AuthN / AuthZ for SaaS

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1.1.1 (L1) Ensure multifactor authentication is enabled for all

users in administrative roles (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Enable multifactor authentication for all users who are members of administrative roles

in the Microsoft 365 tenant. These include roles such as:

• Global Administrator

• Billing Administrator

• Exchange Administrator

• SharePoint Administrator

• Password Administrator

• Skype for Business Administrator

• Service Support Administrator

• User Administrator

• Dynamics 365 Service Administrator

• Power BI Administrator

Rationale:

Multifactor authentication requires an individual to present a minimum of two separate

forms of authentication before access is granted. Multifactor authentication provides

additional assurance that the individual attempting to gain access is who they claim to

be. With multifactor authentication, an attacker would need to compromise at least two

different authentication mechanisms, increasing the difficulty of compromise and thus

reducing the risk.

Impact:

Implementation of multifactor authentication for all users in administrative roles will

necessitate a change to user routine. All users in administrative roles will be required to

enroll in multifactor authentication using phone, SMS, or an authentication application.

After enrollment, use of multifactor authentication will be required for future access to

the environment.

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Audit:

To verify the multifactor authentication configuration for administrators, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Enterprise applications then, under Security, select Conditional

Access.

4. Review the list of policies and ensure that there is a policy that requires the Grant

access control with Require multi-factor authentication for the appropriate

Directory roles under Users and groups

To verify the multifactor authentication configuration for administrators, use the

M365 SecureScore service:

1. Log in to the Secure Score portal (https://security.microsoft.com) using admin

permissions (global admin or a custom admin role) for an Office 365 Enterprise,

Microsoft 365 Business, or Office 365 Business Premium subscription.

2. Click on Require MFA for Azure AD privileged roles policy to check MFA for

admin users.

3. It will show the number of Admin users who do not have MFA configured.

This information is also available via the Microsoft Graph Security API:

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/security/secureScores

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Remediation:

To enable multifactor authentication for administrators, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Enterprise applications then, under Security, select Conditional

Access.

4. Click New policy

5. Go to Assignments > Users and groups > Include > Select users and groups >

check Directory roles.

6. At a minimum, select the following roles: Billing admin, Conditional Access

admin, Exchange admin, Global admin, Helpdesk admin, Security admin,

SharePoint admin, and User admin.

7. Go to Cloud apps or actions > Cloud apps > Include > select All cloud apps

(and don't exclude any apps).

8. Under Access controls > Grant > select Grant access > check Require multi-

factor authentication (and nothing else).

9. Leave all other conditions blank.

10. Make sure the policy is enabled.

11. Create.

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/resources/security-api-

overview?view=graph-rest-beta

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

6.5 Require MFA for Administrative Access

Require MFA for all administrative access accounts, where supported, on all

enterprise assets, whether managed on-site or through a third-party provider.

●

16.3 Require Multi-factor Authentication

Require multi-factor authentication for all user accounts, on all systems,

whether managed onsite or by a third-party provider.

●

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1.1.2 (L2) Ensure multifactor authentication is enabled for all

users in all roles (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

Enable multifactor authentication for all users in the Microsoft 365 tenant. Users will be

prompted to authenticate with a second factor upon logging in to Microsoft 365 services.

The second factor is most commonly a text message to a registered mobile phone

number where they type in an authorization code, or with a mobile application like

Microsoft Authenticator.

Rationale:

Multifactor authentication requires an individual to present a minimum of two separate

forms of authentication before access is granted. Multifactor authentication provides

additional assurance that the individual attempting to gain access is who they claim to

be. With multifactor authentication, an attacker would need to compromise at least two

different authentication mechanisms, increasing the difficulty of compromise and thus

reducing the risk.

Impact:

Implementation of multifactor authentication for all users will necessitate a change to

user routine. All users will be required to enroll in multifactor authentication using phone,

SMS, or an authentication application. After enrollment, use of multifactor authentication

will be required for future authentication to the environment.

Audit:

To verify the multifactor authentication configuration for all users, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Enterprise applications then, under Security, select Conditional

Access.

4. Review the list of policies and ensure that there is a policy that requires the Grant

access control with Require multi-factor authentication for All users under

Users and groups

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To verify the multifactor authentication configuration for administrators, use the

M365 SecureScore service:

1. Log in to the Secure Score portal (https://security.microsoft.com/securescore)

using admin permissions (global admin or a custom admin role) for an Office 365

Enterprise, Microsoft 365 Business, or Office 365 Business Premium

subscription.

2. Click on Ensure all users can complete multi-factor authentication for

secure access recommended action to check MFA for all users.

3. It will show the number of users who do not have MFA configured.

This information is also available via the Microsoft Graph Security API:

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/security/secureScores

Remediation:

To enable multifactor authentication for all users, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Enterprise applications then, under Security, select Conditional

Access.

4. Click New policy

5. Go to Assignments > Users and groups > Include > select All users (and do not

exclude any user).

6. Select Cloud apps or actions > All cloud apps (and don't exclude any apps)

Access Controls > Grant > Require multi-factor authentication (and nothing

else)

8. Leave all other conditions blank

9. Make sure the policy is Enabled/On

10. Create

Default Value:

Disabled

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/conditional-

access/howto-conditional-access-policy-admin-mfa

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/conditional-

access/howto-conditional-access-policy-all-users-mfa

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CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

6.3 Require MFA for Externally-Exposed Applications

Require all externally-exposed enterprise or third-party applications to enforce

MFA, where supported. Enforcing MFA through a directory service or SSO

provider is a satisfactory implementation of this Safeguard.

●

16.3 Require Multi-factor Authentication

Require multi-factor authentication for all user accounts, on all systems,

whether managed onsite or by a third-party provider.

●

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1.1.3 (L1) Ensure that between two and four global admins are

designated (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

More than one global administrator should be designated so a single admin can be

monitored and to provide redundancy should a single admin leave an organization.

Additionally, there should be no more than four global admins set for any tenant. Ideally

global administrators will have no licenses assigned to them.

Rationale:

If there is only one global tenant administrator, he or she can perform malicious activity

without the possibility of being discovered by another admin. If there are numerous

global tenant administrators, the more likely it is that one of their accounts will be

successfully breached by an external attacker.

Impact:

The potential impact associated with ensuring compliance with this requirement is

dependent upon the current number of global administrators configured in the tenant. If

there is only one global administrator in a tenant, an additional global administrator will

need to be identified and configured. If there are more than four global administrators, a

review of role requirements for current global administrators will be required to identify

which of the users require global administrator access.

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Audit:

To verify the number of global tenant administrators, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Select Users > Active Users.

3. Select Filter then select Global Admins.

4. Review the list of Global Admins to confirm there are from two to four such

accounts.

To verify the number of global tenant administrators, you can also use the Office

365 PowerShell MSOL:

1. Connect to Microsoft 365 using Connect-MSOLService

2. Run the following PowerShell commands:

Get-MsolRoleMember -RoleObjectId 62e90394-69f5-4237-9190-012177145e10

This information is also available via the Microsoft Graph Security API:

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/security/secureScores

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Remediation:

To correct the number of global tenant administrators, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Select Users > Active Users.

3. In the Search field enter the name of the user to be made a Global Administrator.

4. To create a new Global Admin:

1. Select the user's name.

2. A window will appear to the right.

3. Select Manage roles.

4. Select Admin center access.

5. Check Global Administrator.

6. Click Save changes.

5. To remove Global Admins:

1. Select User.

2. Under Roles select Manage roles

3. De-Select the appropriate role.

4. Click Save changes.

To correct the number of global tenant administrators, you can also use the

Office 365 PowerShell MSOL:

1. Connect to Microsoft 365 using Connect-MSOLService

2. Run the following PowerShell command to create a new Global Admin:

Add-MsolRoleMember -RoleObjectId 62e90394-69f5-4237-9190-012177145e10 -

RoleMemberEmailAddress "AdeleV@contoso.com"

4. Run the following PowerShell command to remove Global Admins:

Remove-MsolRoleMember -RoleObjectId 62e90394-69f5-4237-9190-012177145e10 -

RoleMemberEmailAddress "AdeleV@contoso.com"

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References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/enterprise/powershell/assign-roles-to-

user-accounts-with-office-365-powershell

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/roles/permissions-

reference#role-template-ids

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

5.1 Establish and Maintain an Inventory of Accounts

Establish and maintain an inventory of all accounts managed in the enterprise.

The inventory must include both user and administrator accounts. The inventory, at

a minimum, should contain the person’s name, username, start/stop dates, and

department. Validate that all active accounts are authorized, on a recurring

schedule at a minimum quarterly, or more frequently.

●

4.1 Maintain Inventory of Administrative Accounts

Use automated tools to inventory all administrative accounts, including domain

and local accounts, to ensure that only authorized individuals have elevated

privileges.

●

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1.1.4 (L1) Ensure self-service password reset is enabled (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Enabling self-service password reset allows users to reset their own passwords in

Azure AD. When your users sign in to Microsoft 365, they will be prompted to enter

additional contact information that will help them reset their password in the future. If

combined registration is enabled additional information, outside of multi-factor, will not

be needed. As of August 2020 combined registration is enabled by default.

Reference: How to enable combined registration

Rationale:

Users will no longer need to engage the helpdesk for password resets, and the

password reset mechanism will automatically block common, easily guessable

passwords. Combined registration should be enabled if not already, as of August of

2020 combined registration is automatic for new tenants therefor users will not need to

Impact:

The impact associated with this setting is that users will be required to provide

additional contact information to enroll in self-service password reset. Additionally,

minor user education may be required for users that are used to calling a help desk for

assistance with password resets. As of August of 2020 combined registration is

automatic for new tenants therefor users will not need to register for password reset

separately from multi-factor authentication.

NOTE: This will not work if using Azure AD Connect / Sync.

Audit:

To verify self-service password reset is enabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin centers choose Azure Active Directory.

2. Choose Users from the left hand navigation.

3. Choose Password reset.

4. On the Properties page, ensure that All is selected under Self service

password reset enabled.

Page 24

Remediation:

To enable self-service password reset, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers choose Azure Active Directory.

2. Choose Users from the left hand navigation.

3. Choose Password reset.

4. On the Properties page, select All under Self service password reset

enabled.

5. Select Save.

References:

1. https://support.office.com/en-us/article/let-users-reset-their-own-passwords-in-

office-365-5bc3f460-13cc-48c0-abd6-b80bae72d04a

2. https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/office/Enable-Self-Service-59846d88

3. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/authentication/quickstart-

sspr

4. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/authentication/howto-

registration-mfa-sspr-combined

Page 25

1.1.5 (L1) Ensure that password protection is enabled for Active

Directory (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Enable Azure Active Directory Password Protection to Active Directory to protect

against the use of common passwords.

Note: This recommendation applies to Hybrid deployments only, and will have no

impact unless working with on-premises Active Directory.

Rationale:

Azure Active Directory protects an organization by prohibiting the use of weak or leaked

passwords. In addition, organizations can create custom banned password lists to

prevent their users from using easily guessed passwords that are specific to their

industry. Deploying this feature to Active Directory will strengthen the passwords that

are used in the environment.

Impact:

The potential impact associated with implementation of this setting is dependent upon

the existing password policies in place in the environment. For environments that have

strong password policies in place, the impact will be minimal. For organizations that do

not have strong password policies in place, implementation of Azure Active Directory

Password Protection may require users to change passwords, and adhere to more

stringent requirements than they have been accustomed to.

Page 26

Audit:

To verify that Azure Active Directory Password Protection is enabled, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Azure Active Directory then Security on the left side navigation

followed by Authentication methods.

4. Select Password protection and ensure that Enable password protection on

Windows Server Active Directory is set to Yes and also that Mode is set to

Enforced

5. Verify that the Domain Controller Agent and Proxy's are deployed to the Domain

Controllers in the environment

This information is also available via the Microsoft Graph Security API:

https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/[Domain name]/settings

Ensure Enable password protection on Windows Server Active Directory.

Remediation:

To setup Azure Active Directory Password Protection, use the following steps:

1. Download and install the Azure AD Password Proxies and DC Agents from the

following location: https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=57071

2. After the installation is complete, login to https://admin.microsoft.com as a

Global Administrator.

3. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

4. Select Azure Active Directory then Security on the left side navigation

followed by Authentication methods.

5. Select Password protection and toggle Enable password protection on

Windows Server Active Directory to Yes and Mode to Enforced

6. Click Save at the top of the right pane.

Default Value:

Enabled / Enforced

Page 27

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

5.2 Use Unique Passwords

Use unique passwords for all enterprise assets. Best practice implementation

includes, at a minimum, an 8-character password for accounts using MFA and a

14-character password for accounts not using MFA.

●

4.4 Use Unique Passwords

Where multi-factor authentication is not supported (such as local administrator,

root, or service accounts), accounts will use passwords that are unique to that

system.

●

Page 28

1.1.6 (L1) Enable Conditional Access policies to block legacy

authentication (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Use Conditional Access to block legacy authentication protocols in Office 365.

Rationale:

Legacy authentication protocols do not support multi-factor authentication. These

protocols are often used by attackers because of this deficiency. Blocking legacy

authentication makes it harder for attackers to gain access.

Impact:

Enabling this setting will prevent users from connecting with older versions of Office,

ActiveSync or using protocols like IMAP, POP or SMTP and may require upgrades to

older versions of Office, and use of mobile mail clients that support modern

authentication.

Page 29

Audit:

To verify that legacy authentication is blocked, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Azure Active Directory then Security.

4. Select Conditional Access.

5. Verify that either the policy Baseline policy: Block legacy authentication is

set to On or find another with the following settings enabled:

o Under Conditions then Client apps ensure the settings are enabled for

and Exchange ActiveSync clients and other clients.

o Under Access controls ensure the Grant is set to Block access

o Under Assignments ensure All users is enabled

o Under Assignments and Users and groups ensure the Exclude is set to

least one low risk account or directory role. This is required as a best

practice.

This information is also available via the Microsoft Graph Security API:

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/security/secureScores

Remediation:

To setup a conditional access policy to block legacy authentication, use the

following steps:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Azure Active Directory then Security.

4. Select Conditional Access.

5. Create a new policy by selecting New policy.

6. Set the following conditions within the policy.

o Select Conditions then Client apps enable the settings for and Exchange

ActiveSync clients and other clients.

o Under Access controls set the Grant section to Block access

o Under Assignments enable All users

o Under Assignments and Users and groups set the Exclude to be at least

one low risk account or directory role. This is required as a best practice.

Default Value:

Legacy authentication is enabled by default.

Page 30

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/clients-and-mobile-in-exchange-

online/disable-basic-authentication-in-exchange-online

Additional Information:

NOTE: For more granularity the following Audit/Remediation procedure could be

utilized.

AUDIT

To verify basic authentication is disabled, use the Exchange Online PowerShell

Module:

1. Run the Microsoft Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-OrganizationConfig | Select-Object -ExpandProperty

DefaultAuthenticationPolicy | ForEach { Get-AuthenticationPolicy $_ | Select-

Object AllowBasicAuth* }

4. Verify each of the basic authentication types is set to false. If no results are

shown or an error is displayed, then no default authentication policy has been

defined for your organization.

5. Verify Exchange Online users are configured to use the appropriate

authentication policy (in this case Block Basic Auth) by running the following

PowerShell command:

Get-User -ResultSize Unlimited | Select-Object UserPrincipalName,

AuthenticationPolicy

Page 31

REMEDIATION

To disable basic authentication, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Run the Microsoft Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

*Note: If a policy exists and a command fails you may run Remove-

AuthenticationPolicy first to ensure policy creation/application occurs as expected.

$AuthenticationPolicy = Get-OrganizationConfig | Select-Object

DefaultAuthenticationPolicy

If (-not $AuthenticationPolicy.Identity) {

$AuthenticationPolicy = New-AuthenticationPolicy "Block Basic Auth"

Set-OrganizationConfig -DefaultAuthenticationPolicy

$AuthenticationPolicy.Identity

}

Set-AuthenticationPolicy -Identity $AuthenticationPolicy.Identity -

AllowBasicAuthActiveSync:$false -AllowBasicAuthAutodiscover:$false -

AllowBasicAuthImap:$false -AllowBasicAuthMapi:$false -

AllowBasicAuthOfflineAddressBook:$false -AllowBasicAuthOutlookService:$false

-AllowBasicAuthPop:$false -AllowBasicAuthPowershell:$false -

AllowBasicAuthReportingWebServices:$false -AllowBasicAuthRpc:$false -

AllowBasicAuthSmtp:$false -AllowBasicAuthWebServices:$false

Get-User -ResultSize Unlimited | ForEach-Object { Set-User -Identity

$_.Identity -AuthenticationPolicy $AuthenticationPolicy.Identity -

STSRefreshTokensValidFrom $([System.DateTime]::UtcNow) }

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

4.8 Uninstall or Disable Unnecessary Services on

Enterprise Assets and Software

Uninstall or disable unnecessary services on enterprise assets and software,

such as an unused file sharing service, web application module, or service

function.

●

9.2 Ensure Only Approved Ports, Protocols and Services

Are Running

Ensure that only network ports, protocols, and services listening on a system

with validated business needs, are running on each system.

●

Page 32

1.1.7 (L1) Ensure that password hash sync is enabled for hybrid

deployments (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Password hash synchronization is one of the sign-in methods used to accomplish hybrid

identity synchronization. Azure AD Connect synchronizes a hash, of the hash, of a

user's password from an on-premises Active Directory instance to a cloud-based Azure

AD instance.

Note: Audit and remediation procedures in this recommendation only apply to Microsoft

365 tenants operating in a hybrid configuration using Azure AD Connect sync.

Rationale:

Password hash synchronization helps by reducing the number of passwords your users

need to maintain to just one and enables leaked credential detection for your hybrid

accounts. Leaked credential protection is leveraged through Azure AD Identity

Protection and is a subset of that feature which can help identity if an organization's

user account passwords have appeared on the dark web or public spaces.

Using other options for your directory synchronization may be less resislient as

Microsoft can still process sign-ins to 365 with Hash Sync even if a network connection

to your on-premises environment is not available.

Impact:

Compliance or regulatory restrictions may exist, depending on the organization's

business sector, that preclude hashed versions of passwords from being securely

transmitted to cloud data centers.

Page 33

Audit:

Verify if Password Hash Sync is enabled using the Azure Admin Center

1. From the Microsoft 365 admin center, click on Azure Active Directory under

Admin centers.

2. Select Azure Active Directory

3. Underneath Manage select Azure AD Connect

4. Under Azure AD Connect Sync, verify Password Hash Sync is Enabled

Verify if Password Hash Sync is enabled using the Azure AD Connect tool:

1. Log in to the server that hosts the Azure AD Connect tool

2. Run Azure AD Connect, and then click View current configuration. In the

details pane, check whether Password synchronization is enabled on your

tenant.

This information is also available via the Microsoft Graph Security API:

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/security/secureScores

To verify if Password Hash Sync is enabled, you may utilize the following

PowerShell

Get-MsolCompanyInformation | select-object PasswordSynchronizationEnabled

Remediation:

To setup Password Hash Sync, use the following steps:

1. Log in to the server that hosts the Azure AD Connect tool

2. Double-click the Azure AD Connect icon that was created on the desktop

3. Click Configure.

4. On the Additional tasks page, select Customize synchronization options and

click Next.

5. Enter the username and password for your global administrator.

6. On the Connect your directories screen, click Next.

7. On the Domain and OU filtering screen, click Next.

8. On the Optional features screen, check Password hash synchronization and

click Next.

9. On the Ready to configure screen click Configure.

10. Once the configuration completes, click Exit.

Default Value:

• Azure AD Connect sync disabled by default

• Password Hash Sync is Microsoft's recommended setting for new deployments

Page 34

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/hybrid/whatis-phs

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/identity-

protection/concept-identity-protection-risks#user-linked-detections

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

6.7 Centralize Access Control

Centralize access control for all enterprise assets through a directory

service or SSO provider, where supported.

●

16.4 Encrypt or Hash all Authentication Credentials

Encrypt or hash with a salt all authentication credentials when stored.

●

Page 35

1.1.8 (L2) Enable Azure AD Identity Protection sign-in risk policies

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 2

Description:

Azure Active Directory Identity Protection sign-in risk detects risks in real-time and

offline. A risky sign-in is an indicator for a sign-in attempt that might not have been

performed by the legitimate owner of a user account.

Rationale:

Turning on the sign-in risk policy ensures that suspicious sign-ins are challenged for

multi-factor authentication.

Impact:

When the policy triggers, the user will need MFA to access the account. In the case of a

user who hasn't registered MFA on their account, they would be blocked from accessing

their account. It is therefore recommended that the MFA registration policy be

configured for all users who are a part of the Sign-in Risk policy.

Audit:

To verify if a Sign-In risk policy is enabled, use the following steps:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Azure Active Directory then Security.

4. Select Conditional Access.

5. Ensure that a policy exist with the following characteristics and is set to on.

o Under Users or workload identities choose All users

o Under Cloud apps or actions choose All cloud apps

o Under Conditions choose Sign-in risk then Yes in the right pane

followed by the appropriate level.

o Under Access Controls select Grant then in the right pane click Grant

access then select Require muilti-factor authentication.

Page 36

Remediation:

To configure a Sign-In risk policy, use the following steps:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Azure Active Directory then Security.

4. Select Conditional Access.

5. Create a new policy by selecting New policy.

6. Set the following conditions within the policy.

o Under Users or workload identities choose All users

o Under Cloud apps or actions choose All cloud apps

o Under Conditions choose Sign-in risk then Yes in the right pane

followed by the appropriate level.

o Under Access Controls select Grant then in the right pane click Grant

access then select Require muilti-factor authentication.

7. Click Select

8. You may opt to begin in a state of Report Only as you step through

implementation however, the policy will need to be set to On to be in effect.

9. Click Create.

NOTE: for more information regarding risk levels refer to Microsoft's Identity Protection

& Risk Doc

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/identity-protection/howto-

identity-protection-risk-feedback

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/identity-

protection/concept-identity-protection-risks

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

13.3 Deploy a Network Intrusion Detection Solution

Deploy a network intrusion detection solution on enterprise assets, where

appropriate. Example implementations include the use of a Network Intrusion

Detection System (NIDS) or equivalent cloud service provider (CSP) service.

●

16.13 Alert on Account Login Behavior Deviation

Alert when users deviate from normal login behavior, such as time-of-day,

workstation location and duration.

●

Page 37

1.1.9 (L2) Enable Azure AD Identity Protection user risk policies

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 2

Description:

Azure Active Directory Identity Protection user risk policies detect the probability that a

user account has been compromised.

Rationale:

With the user risk policy turned on, Azure AD detects the probability that a user account

has been compromised. As an administrator, you can configure a user risk conditional

access policy to automatically respond to a specific user risk level. For example, you

can block access to your resources or require a password change to get a user account

back into a clean state.

Impact:

When the policy triggers, access to the account will either be blocked or the user would

be required to use multi-factor authentication and change their password. Users who

haven't registered MFA on their account will be blocked from accessing it. If account

access is blocked, an admin would need to recover the account. It is therefore

recommended that the MFA registration policy be configured for all users who are a part

of the User Risk policy.

Audit:

To verify if a User Risk policy is enabled, use the following steps:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Azure Active Directory then Security.

4. Select Conditional Access.

5. Ensure that a policy exist with the following characteristics and is set to on.

o Under Users or workload identities choose All users

o Under Cloud apps or actions choose All cloud apps

o Under Conditions choose User risk then Yes in the right pane followed

by the appropriate level.

o Under Access Controls select Grant then in the right pane click Grant

access then select Require password change.

Page 38

Remediation:

To configure a User risk policy, use the following steps:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Azure Active Directory then Security.

4. Select Conditional Access.

5. Create a new policy by selecting New policy.

6. Set the following conditions within the policy.

o Under Users or workload identities choose All users

o Under Cloud apps or actions choose All cloud apps

o Under Conditions choose User risk then Yes in the right pane followed

by the appropriate level.

o Under Access Controls select Grant then in the right pane click Grant

access then select Require password change.

7. Click Select

8. You may opt to begin in a state of Report Only as you step through

implementation however, the policy will need to be set to On to be in effect.

9. Click Create.

NOTE: for more information regarding risk levels refer to Microsoft's Identity Protection

& Risk Doc

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/identity-protection/howto-

identity-protection-risk-feedback

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/identity-

protection/concept-identity-protection-risks

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

13.3 Deploy a Network Intrusion Detection Solution

Deploy a network intrusion detection solution on enterprise assets, where

appropriate. Example implementations include the use of a Network Intrusion

Detection System (NIDS) or equivalent cloud service provider (CSP) service.

●

16.13 Alert on Account Login Behavior Deviation

Alert when users deviate from normal login behavior, such as time-of-day,

workstation location and duration.

●

Page 39

1.1.10 (L2) Use Just In Time privileged access to Office 365 roles

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 2

Description:

Azure Active Directory Privileged Identity Management can be used to audit roles, allow

just in time activation of roles and allow for periodic role attestation. Organizations

should remove permanent members from privileged Office 365 roles and instead make

them eligible, through a JIT activation workflow.

Rationale:

Organizations want to minimize the number of people who have access to secure

information or resources, because that reduces the chance of a malicious actor getting

that access, or an authorized user inadvertently impacting a sensitive resource.

However, users still need to carry out privileged operations in Azure AD and Office 365.

Organizations can give users just-in-time (JIT) privileged access to roles. There is a

need for oversight for what those users are doing with their administrator privileges. PIM

helps to mitigate the risk of excessive, unnecessary, or misused access rights.

Impact:

Implementation of Just in Time privileged access is likely to necessitate changes to

administrator routine. Administrators will only be granted access to administrative roles

when required. When administrators request role activation, they will need to document

the reason for requiring role access, anticipated time required to have the access, and

to reauthenticate to enable role access.

Page 40

Audit:

To verify if Privileged Identity Management is being used for Role activation, use

the following steps:

1. Sign-on to your Azure portal as global administrator by going to

https://portal.azure.com

2. In the Azure portal, click Services and search for and click on Azure AD

Privileged Identity management.

3. Under Manage click on Azure AD Roles.

4. Under Manage click on Roles.

5. Inspect the following sensitive roles to ensure that the members are Eligible

and not Permanent:

Application Administrator

Authentication Administrator

Billing Administrator

Cloud Application Administrator

Cloud Device Administrator

Compliance Administrator

Customer LockBox Access Approver

Device Administrators

Exchange Administrators

Global Administrators

HelpDesk Administrator

Information Protection Administrator

Intune Service Administrator

Kaizala Administrator

License Administrator

Password Administrator

PowerBI Service Administrator

Privileged Authentication Administrator

Privileged Role Administrator

Security Administrator

SharePoint Service Administrator

Skype for Business Administrator

Teams Service Administrator

User Administrator

Page 41

Remediation:

To configure sensitive Azure AD roles for Privileged Identity Management Role

activation, use the following steps:

1. Sign-on to your Azure portal as global administrator by going to

https://portal.azure.com

2. In the Azure portal, click Services and search for and click on Azure AD

Privileged Identity management.

3. Under Manage click on Azure AD Roles.

4. Under Manage click on Roles.

5. Inspect the following sensitive roles. For each of the members that have an

ASSIGNMENT TYPE of Permanent, click on the ... and choose Make eligible:

Application Administrator

Authentication Administrator

Billing Administrator

Cloud Application Administrator

Cloud Device Administrator

Compliance Administrator

Customer LockBox Access Approver

Device Administrators

Exchange Administrators

Global Administrators

HelpDesk Administrator

Information Protection Administrator

Intune Service Administrator

Kaizala Administrator

License Administrator

Password Administrator

PowerBI Service Administrator

Privileged Authentication Administrator

Privileged Role Administrator

Security Administrator

SharePoint Service Administrator

Skype for Business Administrator

Teams Service Administrator

User Administrator

Page 42

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

6.1 Establish an Access Granting Process

Establish and follow a process, preferably automated, for granting access to

enterprise assets upon new hire, rights grant, or role change of a user.

●

6.2 Establish an Access Revoking Process

Establish and follow a process, preferably automated, for revoking access to

enterprise assets, through disabling accounts immediately upon termination, rights

revocation, or role change of a user. Disabling accounts, instead of deleting

accounts, may be necessary to preserve audit trails.

●

4.1 Maintain Inventory of Administrative Accounts

Use automated tools to inventory all administrative accounts, including domain

and local accounts, to ensure that only authorized individuals have elevated

privileges.

●

Page 43

1.1.11 (L1) Ensure Security Defaults is disabled on Azure Active

Directory (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Security defaults in Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) make it easier to be secure and

help protect your organization. Security defaults contain preconfigured security settings

for common attacks.

Microsoft is making security defaults available to everyone. The goal is to ensure that all

organizations have a basic level of security-enabled at no extra cost. You turn on

security defaults in the Azure portal.

The use of security defaults however will prohibit custom settings which are being set

with more advanced settings from this benchmark.

Rationale:

Security defaults provide secure default settings that we manage on behalf of

organizations to keep customers safe until they are ready to manage their own identity

security settings.

For example doing the following:

• Requiring all users and admins to register for MFA.

• Challenging users with MFA - mostly when they show up on a new device or app,

but more often for critical roles and tasks.

• Disabling authentication from legacy authentication clients, which can’t do MFA.

Impact:

The potential impact associated with disabling of Security Defaults is dependent upon

the security controls implemented in the environment. It is likely that most organizations

disabling Security Defaults plan to implement equivalent controls to replace Security

Defaults.

It may be necessary to check settings in other Microsoft products, such as Azure, to

ensure settings and functionality are as expected when disabling security defaults for

MS365.

Page 44

Audit:

To ensure security defaults is disabled in your directory:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal as a security administrator, Conditional Access

administrator, or global administrator.

2. Browse to Azure Active Directory > Properties.

3. Select Manage security defaults.

4. Verify the Enable security defaults toggle to No.

Remediation:

To disable security defaults in your directory:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal as a security administrator, Conditional Access

administrator, or global administrator.

2. Browse to Azure Active Directory > Properties.

3. Select Manage security defaults.

4. Set the Enable security defaults toggle to No.

5. Select Save.

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/fundamentals/concept-

fundamentals-security-defaults

2. https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-active-directory-

identity/introducing-security-defaults/ba-p/1061414

Page 45

1.1.12 (L2) Ensure that only organizationally managed/approved

public groups exist (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

Microsoft 365 Groups is the foundational membership service that drives all teamwork

across Microsoft 365. With Microsoft 365 Groups, you can give a group of people

access to a collection of shared resources. While there are several different types of

group types this recommendation is concerned with Microsoft 365 Groups.

In the Administration panel, when a group is created, the default privacy value is

"Public".

Rationale:

Ensure that only organizationally managed and approved public groups exist. When a

group has a "public" privacy, users may access data related to this group (e.g.

SharePoint), through three methods:

• By using the Azure portal, and adding themselves into the public group

• By requesting access to the group from the Group application of the Access

Panel

• By accessing the SharePoint URL

Administrators are notified when a user uses the Azure Portal. Requesting access to the

group forces users to send a message to the group owner, but they still have

immediately access to the group. The SharePoint URL is usually guessable, and can be

found from the Group application of the Access Panel. If group privacy is not controlled,

any user may access sensitive information, according to the group they try to access.

NOTE: Public in this case meaning public to the identities within organization.

Impact:

If the recommendation is applied, group owners could receive more access requests

than usual, especially regarding groups originally meant to be public.

Page 46

Audit:

Using the Microsoft 365 Administration portal:

In the Microsoft 365 Administration portal, go to:

1. Teams & groups

2. Active teams & groups

3. Check that no groups have the status 'Public' in the privacy column

Using the Microsoft.Graph PowerShell module:

To get the list of public groups, run the following.

Connect-Graph -Scopes "Group.Read.All"

Get-MgGroup | where {$_.Visibility -eq "Public"} | select

DisplayName,Visibility

Remediation:

In the Microsoft 365 Administration portal, go to:

1. Teams & groups

2. Active teams & groups

3. Select a Public group

4. Go to 'Settings'

5. Set Privacy to 'Private'

Default Value:

Public when create from the Administration portal; private otherwise.

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/users-groups-

roles/groups-self-service-management#self-service-group-membership-defaults

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/create-groups/compare-

groups?view=o365-worldwide

Page 47

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists

Configure data access control lists based on a user’s need to know. Apply

data access control lists, also known as access permissions, to local and remote

file systems, databases, and applications.

●

13.1 Maintain an Inventory Sensitive Information

Maintain an inventory of all sensitive information stored, processed, or

transmitted by the organization's technology systems, including those located

onsite or at a remote service provider.

●

Page 48

1.1.13 (L2) Ensure that collaboration invitations are sent to

allowed domains only (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

Users should be able to send collaboration invitations to allowed domains only.

Rationale:

By specifying allowed domains for collaborations, external users companies are

explicitly identified. Also, this prevents internal users from inviting unknown external

users such as personal accounts and give them access to resources.

Impact:

This could make harder collaboration if the setting is not quickly updated when a new

domain is identified as "allowed".

Audit:

From the Azure portal:

1. Go to Azure Active Directory

2. Go to Users

3. Go to User settings

4. Under External users, click on Manage external collaboration settings

5. Under Collaboration restrictions, make sure that Allow invitations only to

the specified domains (most restrictive) is selected. Then make sure that

Target domains is checked and that allowed domains are specified.

Remediation:

From the Azure portal:

1. Go to Azure Active Directory

2. Go to Users

3. Go to User settings

4. Under External users, click on Manage external collaboration settings

5. Under Collaboration restrictions, select Allow invitations only to the

specified domains (most restrictive), check the Target domains setting, and

specify the domains allowed to collaborate.

Page 49

Default Value:

Default value is Allow invitations to be sent to any domain (most inclusive) and

thus no domain is specified.

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/external-identities/allow-

deny-list

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

6.1 Establish an Access Granting Process

Establish and follow a process, preferably automated, for granting access to

enterprise assets upon new hire, rights grant, or role change of a user.

●

13.1 Maintain an Inventory Sensitive Information

Maintain an inventory of all sensitive information stored, processed, or

transmitted by the organization's technology systems, including those located

onsite or at a remote service provider.

●

Page 50

1.1.14 (L2) Ensure that LinkedIn contact synchronization is

disabled. (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

You should disable integration with LinkedIn as a measure to help prevent phishing

scams.

Rationale:

Office 365 is the prime target of phishing scams. Phishing attacks are a subset of social

engineering strategy that imitate a trusted source and concoct a seemingly logical

scenario for handing over sensitive information. Social networking sites have made

social engineering attacks easier to conduct.

LinkedIn integration is enabled by default in Office 365 that could lead to a risk scenario

where an external party could be accidentally disclosed sensitive information.

Impact:

Users will not be able to sync contacts or use LinkedIn integration.

Audit:

To verify that LinkedIn contacts synchronization is disabled, perform the following steps

via the Azure Active Directory admin center:

1. Navigate to https://admin.microsoft.com and login as a Global Admin.

2. Expand Admin centers then select Azure Active Directory.

3. Once the Azure AD Admin center is open select Users followed by User

Settings then User settings.

4. Under LinkedIn account connections ensure No is highlighted.

Remediation:

To disabled LinkedIn account data sharing, perform the following steps via the Azure

Active Directory admin center:

1. Navigate to https://admin.microsoft.com and login as a Global Admin.

2. Expand Admin centers then select Azure Active Directory.

3. Once the Azure AD Admin center is open select Users followed by User

Settings then User settings.

4. Under LinkedIn account connections then click No.

5. Click Save at the top of the page.

Page 51

Default Value:

LinkedIn integration is enabled by default.

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/enterprise-users/linkedin-

integration

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

4.8 Uninstall or Disable Unnecessary Services on

Enterprise Assets and Software

Uninstall or disable unnecessary services on enterprise assets and software,

such as an unused file sharing service, web application module, or service

function.

●

13.3 Monitor and Block Unauthorized Network Traffic

Deploy an automated tool on network perimeters that monitors for

unauthorized transfer of sensitive information and blocks such transfers while

alerting information security professionals.

●

Page 52

1.1.15 (L1) Ensure Sign-in frequency is enabled and browser

sessions are not persistent for Administrative users. (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Forcing a time out for MFA will help ensure that sessions are not kept alive for an

indefinite period of time, ensuring that browser sessions are not persistent will help in

prevention of drive-by attacks in web browsers, this also prevents creation and saving of

session cookies leaving nothing for an attacker to take.

Administrative roles this should apply to include those such as.

• Global Administrator

• Billing Administrator

• Exchange Administrator

• SharePoint Administrator

• Password Administrator

• Skype for Business Administrator

• Service Support Administrator

• User Administrator

• Dynamics 365 Service Administrator

• Power BI Administrator

NOTE: The frequency at which MFA is prompted will be determined by your

organization's policy and need.

Rationale:

Ensuring these additional controls are present for Administrative users adds an

additional layer of defense against drive-by attacks and even some ransomware

attacks.

Impact:

Users with Administrative roles will be prompted at the frequency set for MFA.

Page 53

Audit:

To verify the multifactor timeout and persistent browser settings are set for

administrators, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Enterprise applications then, under Security, select Conditional

Access.

4. Review the list of policies and ensure that there is a policy that have Sign-in

frequency set to the time determined by your organization and that Persistent

browser session is set to Never persistent.

Remediation:

To enable the multifactor timeout and persistent browser settings are set for

administrators, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Enterprise applications then, under Security, select Conditional

Access.

4. Click New policy

5. Go to Assignments > Users and groups > Include > Select users and groups >

check Directory roles.

6. At a minimum, select the following roles: Billing admin, Conditional Access

admin, Exchange admin, Global admin, Helpdesk admin, Security admin,

SharePoint admin, and User admin.

• Targeting any role with the word admin will ensure that any users with additional

privileges will be targeted.

7. Go to Cloud apps or actions > Cloud apps > Include > select All cloud apps

(and don't exclude any apps).

8. Under Access controls > Grant > select Grant access > check Require multi-

factor authentication (and nothing else).

9. Under Session check Sign-in frequency and enter the value determined by your

organization.

10. Check Persistent browser session then select Never persistent in the drop-

down menu.

11. Create.

NOTE: After creation ensure that the policy is set to enabled.

Page 54

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

4.3 Configure Automatic Session Locking on Enterprise

Assets

Configure automatic session locking on enterprise assets after a defined period

of inactivity. For general purpose operating systems, the period must not exceed

15 minutes. For mobile end-user devices, the period must not exceed 2 minutes.

●

16.3 Require Multi-factor Authentication

Require multi-factor authentication for all user accounts, on all systems,

whether managed onsite or by a third-party provider.

●

Page 55

1.1.16 (L2) Ensure the option to remain signed in is hidden

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

The option for the user to Stay signed in or the Keep me signed in option will prompt a

user after a successful login, when the user selects this option a persistent refresh

token is created. Typically this lasts for 90 days and does not prompt for sign-in or Multi-

Factor.

Rationale:

Allowing users to select this option presents risk, especially in the event that the user

signs into their account on a publicly accessible computer/web browser. In this case it

would be trivial for an unauthorized person to gain access to any associated cloud data

from that account.

Impact:

Once this setting is hidden users will no longer be prompted upon sign-in with the

message Stay signed in?. This may mean users will be forced to sign in more

frequently. Important: some features of SharePoint Online and Office 2010 have a

dependency on users remaining signed in. If you hide this option, users may get

additional and unexpected sign in prompts.

Audit:

To verify the option to remain signed in is disabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory, once in the AD

Admin Center select Azure Active Directory.

3. Under Manage select Company branding followed by the appropriate Locale policy.

• If you only see Configure then no locale or policy exists and this setting is not

applied, proceed to remediation.

4. Scroll to the bottom of the newly opened pane and ensure Show option to

remain signed in is not checked.

Page 56

Remediation:

To verify the option to remain signed in is disabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory, once in the AD

Admin Center select Azure Active Directory.

3. Under Manage select Company branding followed by the appropriate Locale policy.

• If no policy exists you will need to click Configure to create one

4. Scroll to the bottom of the newly opened pane and ensure Show option to

remain signed in is not checked.

5. Click Save.

Default Value:

Users may select stay signed in

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

16.3 Require Multi-factor Authentication

Require multi-factor authentication for all user accounts, on all systems,

whether managed onsite or by a third-party provider.

●

Page 57

1.2 (L1) Ensure modern authentication for Exchange Online is

enabled (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Modern authentication in Microsoft 365 enables authentication features like multifactor

authentication (MFA) using smart cards, certificate-based authentication (CBA), and

third-party SAML identity providers. When you enable modern authentication in

Exchange Online, Outlook 2016 and Outlook 2013 use modern authentication to log in

to Microsoft 365 mailboxes. When you disable modern authentication in Exchange

Online, Outlook 2016 and Outlook 2013 use basic authentication to log in to Microsoft

365 mailboxes.

When users initially configure certain email clients, like Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016,

they may be required to authenticate using enhanced authentication mechanisms, such

as multifactor authentication. Other Outlook clients that are available in Microsoft 365

(for example, Outlook Mobile and Outlook for Mac 2016) always use modern

authentication to log in to Microsoft 365 mailboxes.

Rationale:

Strong authentication controls, such as the use of multifactor authentication, may be

circumvented if basic authentication is used by Exchange Online email clients such as

Outlook 2016 and Outlook 2013. Enabling modern authentication for Exchange Online

ensures strong authentication mechanisms are used when establishing sessions

between email clients and Exchange Online.

Impact:

Users of older email clients, such as Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016, will no longer be

able to authenticate to Exchange using Basic Authentication, which will necessitate

migration to modern authentication practices.

Page 58

Audit:

To verify modern authentication is enabled, use the Exchange Online PowerShell

Module:

1. Run the Microsoft Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-OrganizationConfig | Format-Table -Auto Name, OAuth*

4. Verify OAuth2ClientProfileEnabled is True.

Remediation:

To enable modern authentication, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Run the Microsoft Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Set-OrganizationConfig -OAuth2ClientProfileEnabled $True

Default Value:

True

References:

1. https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/enable-or-disable-modern-authentication-

in-exchange-online-58018196-f918-49cd-8238-56f57f38d662

Page 59

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.10 Encrypt Sensitive Data in Transit

Encrypt sensitive data in transit. Example implementations can include:

Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Open Secure Shell (OpenSSH).

●

16.3 Require Multi-factor Authentication

Require multi-factor authentication for all user accounts, on all systems,

whether managed onsite or by a third-party provider.

●

16.5 Encrypt Transmittal of Username and

Authentication Credentials

Ensure that all account usernames and authentication credentials are

transmitted across networks using encrypted channels.

●

Page 60

1.3 (L1) Ensure modern authentication for SharePoint

applications is required (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Modern authentication in Microsoft 365 enables authentication features like multifactor

authentication (MFA) using smart cards, certificate-based authentication (CBA), and

third-party SAML identity providers

Rationale:

Strong authentication controls, such as the use of multifactor authentication, may be

circumvented if basic authentication is used by SharePoint applications. Requiring

modern authentication for SharePoint applications ensures strong authentication

mechanisms are used when establishing sessions between these applications,

SharePoint, and connecting users.

Impact:

Implementation of modern authentication for SharePoint will require users to

authenticate to SharePoint using modern authentication. This may cause a minor

impact to typical user behavior.

Audit:

To verify SharePoint settings, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers select SharePoint.

2. Expand the Policies section then select Access control.

3. Select Apps that don't use modern authentication and ensure that it is set to

Block access.

To verify Apps that don't use modern authentication is set to Block, use the

SharePoint Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online using Connect-SPOService -Url https://tenant-

admin.sharepoint.com replacing tenant with your value.

2. Run the following SharePoint Online PowerShell command:

Get-SPOTenant | ft LegacyAuthProtocolsEnabled

3. Verify LegacyAuthProtocolsEnabled is set False

Page 61

Remediation:

To set SharePoint settings, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers select SharePoint.

2. Expand the Policies section then select Access control.

3. Select Apps that don't use modern authentication

4. Select the radio button for Block access.

5. Click Save.

To set Apps that don't use modern authentication is set to Block, use the

SharePoint Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online using Connect-SPOService -Url https://tenant-

admin.sharepoint.com replacing tenant with your value.

2. Run the following SharePoint Online PowerShell command:

Set-SPOTenant -LegacyAuthProtocolsEnabled $false

Default Value:

The default is to allow apps that don't use modern authentication.

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.10 Encrypt Sensitive Data in Transit

Encrypt sensitive data in transit. Example implementations can include:

Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Open Secure Shell (OpenSSH).

●

16.3 Require Multi-factor Authentication

Require multi-factor authentication for all user accounts, on all systems,

whether managed onsite or by a third-party provider.

●

Page 62

1.4 (L1) Ensure that Office 365 Passwords Are Not Set to Expire

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Microsoft cloud-only accounts have a pre-defined password policy that cannot be

changed. The only items that can change are the number of days until a password

expires and whether or not passwords expire at all.

Rationale:

Organizations such as NIST and Microsoft have updated their password policy

recommendations to not arbitrarily require users to change their passwords after a

specific amount of time, unless there is evidence that the password is compromised or

the user forgot it. They suggest this even for single factor (Password Only) use cases,

with a reasoning that forcing arbitrary password changes on users actually make the

passwords less secure. Other recommendations within this Benchmark suggest the use

of MFA authentication for at least critical accounts (at minimum), which makes

password expiration even less useful as well as password protection for Azure AD.

Impact:

When setting passwords not to expire it is important to have other controls in place to

supplement this setting. See below for related recommendations and user guidance.

• Ban common passwords

• Educate users to not reuse organization passwords anywhere else

• Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication registration for all users

• Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication registration

Audit:

To verify Office 365 Passwords Are Not Set to Expire, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Expand Settings then select the Org Settings subcategory.

2. Click on Security & privacy.

3. Select Password expiration policy ensure that Set passwords to never

expire (recommended) has been checked.

Page 63

To verify Office 365 Passwords Are Not Set to Expire, use the Microsoft Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Microsoft Online service using Connect-MSOLService.

2. Run the following Microsoft Online PowerShell command:

Get-MsolPasswordPolicy -DomainName <DomainName> | ft ValidityPeriod

Remediation:

To set Office 365 Passwords to Expire, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Expand Settings then select the Org Settings subcategory.

2. Click on Security & privacy.

3. Select Password expiration policy.

4. If the Set passwords to never expire (recommended) box is unchecked, check

it.

5. Click Save.

To set Office 365 Passwords Are Not Set to Expire, use the Microsoft Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Microsoft Online service using Connect-MSOLService.

2. Run the following Microsoft Online PowerShell command:

Set-MsolPasswordPolicy -ValidityPeriod 2147483647 -DomainName <DomainName> -

NotificationDays 30

References:

1. https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/sp800-63b.html

2. https://www.cisecurity.org/white-papers/cis-password-policy-guide/

3. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/microsoft-365/admin/misc/password-policy-

recommendations?view=o365-worldwide

Page 64

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

5.2 Use Unique Passwords

Use unique passwords for all enterprise assets. Best practice implementation

includes, at a minimum, an 8-character password for accounts using MFA and a

14-character password for accounts not using MFA.

●

4.4 Use Unique Passwords

Where multi-factor authentication is not supported (such as local administrator,

root, or service accounts), accounts will use passwords that are unique to that

system.

●

Page 65

1.5 (L1) Ensure Administrative accounts are separate and cloud-

only (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Administrative accounts are special privileged accounts that could have varying levels

of access to data, users, and settings. Regular user accounts should never be utilized

for Administrative tasks and care should be taken, in the case of a hybrid environment,

to keep Administrative accounts separated from on-prem accounts. Administrative

accounts should not have applications assigned so that they have no access to

potentially vulnerable services (EX. email, Teams, SharePoint, etc.) and only access to

perform tasks as needed for Administrative purposes.

Rationale:

Ensuring administrative accounts are cloud-only, without applications assigned to them

will reduce the attack surface of high privileged identities in your environment. In order

to participate in Microsoft 365 security services such as Identity Protection, PIM and

Conditional Access an administrative account will need a license attached to it. Ensure

that the license used does not include any applications with potentially vulnerable

services by using either Azure Premium P1 or Azure Premium P2 for the cloud-only

account with administrator roles.

In a hybrid environment, having separate accounts will help ensure that in the event of a

breach in the cloud, that the breach does not affect the on-prem environment and vice-

versa.

Impact:

Administrative users will have to switch accounts and utilizing login/logout functionality

when performing Administrative tasks, as well as not benefiting from SSO.

Audit:

To verify appropriately licensed, separate Administrative accounts are being

utilized, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Select Users > Active users then sort by the Licenses column.

3. For each user account in an administrative role verify the following:

o The account is Cloud only (not synced)

o The account is assigned a license that is not associated with applications

(Azure Premium P1, Azure Premium P2)

Page 66

Remediation:

To created licensed, separate Administrative accounts for Administrative users,

using the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a Global Administrator.

2. Go to Admin centers and click on Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Users > Active users then click Add a user.

4. Fill out the appropriate fields for Name, user, etc.

5. When prompted to assign licenses select as needed Azure Premium P1 or Azure

Premium P2, then click Next.

6. Under the Option settings screen you may choose from several types of

Administrative access roles. Choose Admin center access followed by the

appropriate role then click Next.

7. Select Finish adding.

Default Value:

N/A

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/add-users/add-

users?view=o365-worldwide

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

5.4 Restrict Administrator Privileges to Dedicated

Administrator Accounts

Restrict administrator privileges to dedicated administrator accounts on

enterprise assets. Conduct general computing activities, such as internet

browsing, email, and productivity suite use, from the user’s primary, non-privileged

account.

●

4.1 Maintain Inventory of Administrative Accounts

Use automated tools to inventory all administrative accounts, including domain

and local accounts, to ensure that only authorized individuals have elevated

privileges.

●

Page 67

2 Application Permissions

Page 68

2.1 (L2) Ensure third party integrated applications are not allowed

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

Do not allow third party integrated applications to connect to your services.

Rationale:

You should not allow third party integrated applications to connect to your services

unless there is a very clear value and you have robust security controls in place. While

there are legitimate uses, attackers can grant access from breached accounts to third

party applications to exfiltrate data from your tenancy without having to maintain the

breached account.

Impact:

Implementation of this change will impact both end users and administrators. End users

will not be able to integrate third-party applications that they may wish to use.

Administrators are likely to receive requests from end users to grant them permission to

necessary third-party applications.

Audit:

To verify that third party integrated applications are not allowed, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and Azure Active Directory.

2. Select Users from the Azure navigation pane

3. Select Users settings.

4. Verify App registrations is set to No.

Remediation:

To prohibit third party integrated applications, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and Azure Active Directory.

2. Select Users from the Azure navigation pane

3. Select Users settings.

4. Set App registrations is set to No.

5. Click Save.

Page 69

Default Value:

Yes

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

2.5 Allowlist Authorized Software

Use technical controls, such as application allowlisting, to ensure that only

authorized software can execute or be accessed. Reassess bi-annually, or more

frequently.

●

18.4 Only Use Up-to-date And Trusted Third-Party

Components

Only use up-to-date and trusted third-party components for the software

developed by the organization.

●

Page 70

2.2 (L2) Ensure calendar details sharing with external users is

disabled (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

You should not allow your users to share the full details of their calendars with external

users.

Rationale:

Attackers often spend time learning about your organization before launching an attack.

Publicly available calendars can help attackers understand organizational relationships

and determine when specific users may be more vulnerable to an attack, such as when

they are traveling.

Impact:

This functionality is not widely used. As a result, it is unlikely that implementation of this

setting will cause an impact to most users. Users that do utilize this functionality are

likely to experience a minor inconvenience when scheduling meetings or synchronizing

calendars with people outside the tenant.

Audit:

To verify calendar details sharing with external users is disabled, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Center and Click to expand Settings.

2. Click Org settings.

3. Click Calendar.

4. Verify Let your users share their calendars with people outside of your

organization who have Office 365 or Exchange is unchecked.

To verify calendar details sharing with external users is disabled, use the

Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

Get-SharingPolicy | Where-Object { $_.Domains -like '*CalendarSharing*' }

3. Verify Enabled is set to False

Page 71

Remediation:

To disable calendar details sharing with external users, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Center and Click to expand Settings.

2. Click Org settings.

3. Click Calendar.

4. Uncheck Let your users share their calendars with people outside of

your organization who have Office 365 or Exchange.

5. Click Save.

To disable calendar details sharing with external users policy, use the Exchange

Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

Set-SharingPolicy -Identity "Name of the policy" -Enabled $False

Default Value:

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

4.8 Uninstall or Disable Unnecessary Services on

Enterprise Assets and Software

Uninstall or disable unnecessary services on enterprise assets and software,

such as an unused file sharing service, web application module, or service function.

●

14.6 Protect Information through Access Control Lists

Protect all information stored on systems with file system, network share,

claims, application, or database specific access control lists. These controls will

enforce the principle that only authorized individuals should have access to the

information based on their need to access the information as a part of their

responsibilities.

●

Page 72

2.3 (L2) Ensure Safe Links for Office Applications is Enabled

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 2

Description:

Enabling Safe Links policy for Office applications allows URL's that exist inside of Office

documents and email applications opened by Office, Office Online and Office mobile to

be processed against Defender for Office time-of-click verification and rewritten if

required.

Note: E5 Licensing includes a number of Built-in Protection policies. When auditing

policies note which policy you are viewing, and keep in mind CIS recommendations

often extend the Default or Build-in Policies provided by MS. In order to Pass the

highest priority policy must match all settings recommended.

Rationale:

Safe Links for Office applications extends phishing protection to documents and emails

that contain hyperlinks, even after they have been delivered to a user.

Impact:

User impact associated with this change is minor - users may experience a very short

delay when clicking on URLs in Office documents before being directed to the

requested site. Users should be informed of the change as, in the event a link is unsafe

and blocked, they will receive a message that it has been blocked.

Page 73

Audit:

To verify Defender for Office Safe Links policy for Office is enabled, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers click Security.

2. Under Email & collaboration select Policies & rules

3. Select Threat policies then Safe Links

4. Click on the policy, a new pane should open on the right hand side.

5. Scroll down the pane and click on Edit Protection settings

6. Ensure the following boxes are checked in the section URL & Click protection

settings:

•

On: Safe Links checks a list of known, malicious links when users click

links in email. URLs are rewritten by default

•

Apply Safe Links to email messages sent within the organization

•

Apply real-time URL scanning for suspicious links and links that point

to files

•

Wait for URL scanning to complete before delivering the message

•

On: Safe Links checks a list of known, malicious links when users click

links in Microsoft Teams. URLs are not rewritten

•

On: Safe Links checks a list of known, malicious links when users click

links in Microsoft Office apps. URLs are not rewritten

7. Under Click protection settings the setting Let users click through to the

original URL should be unchecked.

Page 74

To verify the Safe Links policy is enabled, use the Exchange Online PowerShell

Module:

1. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-SafeLinksPolicy | Format-Table Name

3. Once this returns the list of policies run the following command to view the

policies.

Get-SafeLinksPolicy -Identity "Policy Name"

4. Verify the value for the following.

EnableSafeLinksForEmail: True

EnableSafeLinksForTeams: True

EnableSafeLinksForOffice: True

AllowClickThrough: False

ScanUrls: True

EnableForInternalSenders: True

DeliverMessageAfterScan: True

Page 75

Remediation:

To enable Defender for Office Safe Links policy for Office, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers click Security.

2. Under Email & collaboration select Policies & rules

3. Select Threat policies then Safe Links

4. Click on the policy, a new pane should open on the right hand side.

5. Under Protection settings click Edit protection settings

6. Ensure the follow boxes are checked:

•

On: Safe Links checks a list of known, malicious links when users click

links in email. URLs are rewritten by default

•

Apply Safe Links to email messages sent within the organization

•

Apply real-time URL scanning for suspicious links and links that point

to files

•

Wait for URL scanning to complete before delivering the message

•

On: Safe Links checks a list of known, malicious links when users click

links in Microsoft Teams. URLs are not rewritten

•

On: Safe Links checks a list of known, malicious links when users click

links in Microsoft Office apps. URLs are not rewritten

7. Under Click protection settings check Track user clicks and uncheck Let

users click through to the original URL

8. Select Save

Page 76

To enable the Safe Links policy for Office 365, use the Exchange Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

New-SafeLinksPolicy -Name "My SafeLinks Policy" -EnableSafeLinksForEmail

$true -EnableSafeLinksForTeams $true -EnableSafeLinksForOffice $true -

ScanUrls $true -DeliverMessageAfterScan $true -EnableForInternalSenders $true

-AllowClickThrough $false

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-security/set-

up-safe-links-policies?view=o365-worldwide

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/set-

safelinkspolicy?view=exchange-ps

3. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-

security/preset-security-policies?view=o365-worldwide

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

10.1 Deploy and Maintain Anti-Malware Software

Deploy and maintain anti-malware software on all enterprise assets.

●

7.4 Maintain and Enforce Network-Based URL Filters

Enforce network-based URL filters that limit a system's ability to connect to

websites not approved by the organization. This filtering shall be enforced for each

of the organization's systems, whether they are physically at an organization's

facilities or not.

●

Page 77

2.4 (L2) Ensure Safe Attachments for SharePoint, OneDrive, and

Microsoft Teams is Enabled (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 2

Description:

Safe Attachments for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams scans these services

for malicious files.

Rationale:

Safe Attachments for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams protects your

organization from inadvertently sharing malicious files. When a malicious file is

detected, that file is blocked so that no one can open, copy, move, or share it until

further actions are taken by the organization's security team.

Impact:

Impact associated with Safe Attachments is minimal, and equivalent to impact

associated with anti-virus scanners in an environment.

Audit:

To verify that Safe Attachments for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams is

enabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers click Security to open the Microsoft 365 Defender.

2. Under Email & collaboration select Policies & rules

3. Select Threat policies then Safe Attachments.

4. Click on Global settings

5. Verify that toggle is selected to Turn on Defender for Office 365 for

SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams.

To verify that Safe Attachments is enabled for SharePoint, OneDrive, and

Microsoft Teams, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-AtpPolicyForO365 | fl Name,EnableATPForSPOTeamsODB

3. Verify the value for EnableATPForSPOTeamsODB is set to True.

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Remediation:

To enable Safe Attachments for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams, use

the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers click Security to open the Microsoft 365 Defender.

2. Under Email & collaboration select Policies & rules

3. Click on Global settings

4. Click the toggle to Turn on Defender for Office 365 for SharePoint,

OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams

5. Click Save

To enable Safe Attachments for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams, use

the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Set-AtpPolicyForO365 -EnableATPForSPOTeamsODB $True

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

9.7 Deploy and Maintain Email Server Anti-Malware

Protections

Deploy and maintain email server anti-malware protections, such as

attachment scanning and/or sandboxing.

●

10.1 Deploy and Maintain Anti-Malware Software

Deploy and maintain anti-malware software on all enterprise assets.

●

7.10 Sandbox All Email Attachments

Use sandboxing to analyze and block inbound email attachments with

malicious behavior.

●

8.1 Utilize Centrally Managed Anti-malware Software

Utilize centrally managed anti-malware software to continuously monitor and

defend each of the organization's workstations and servers.

●

Page 79

2.5 (L2) Ensure Office 365 SharePoint infected files are

disallowed for download (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 2

Description:

By default SharePoint online allows files that Defender for Office 365 has detected as

infected to be downloaded.

Rationale:

Defender for Office 365 for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams protects your

organization from inadvertently sharing malicious files. When an infected file is

detected, that file is blocked so that no one can open, copy, move, or share it until

further actions are taken by the organization's security team.

Impact:

The only potential impact associated with implementation of this setting is potential

inconvenience associated with the small percentage of false positive detections that

may occur.

Audit:

To check that O365 SharePoint is set to not allow infected files to be downloaded,

use PowerShell:

1. Connect using Connect-SPOService, you will need to enter the URL for your

SharePoint Online admin page https://*-admin.sharepoint.com as well as a

Global Admin account.

2. Run the following PowerShell command

Get-SPOTenant | Select-Object DisallowInfectedFileDownload

3. Verify the value for DisallowInfectedFileDownload is set to True.

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Remediation:

To set O365 SharePoint to disallow download of infected files, use PowerShell:

1. Connect using Connect-SPOService, you will need to enter the URL for your

Sharepoint Online admin page https://*-admin.sharepoint.com as well as a

Global Admin account.

2. Run the following PowerShell command to set the value to True.

Set-SPOTenant –DisallowInfectedFileDownload $true

3. After several minutes run the following to verify the value for

DisallowInfectedFileDownload has been set to True.

Get-SPOTenant | Select-Object DisallowInfectedFileDownload

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-security/turn-

on-mdo-for-spo-odb-and-teams?view=o365-worldwide

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-security/virus-

detection-in-spo?view=o365-worldwide

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

10.1 Deploy and Maintain Anti-Malware Software

Deploy and maintain anti-malware software on all enterprise assets.

●

7.10 Sandbox All Email Attachments

Use sandboxing to analyze and block inbound email attachments with

malicious behavior.

●

8.1 Utilize Centrally Managed Anti-malware Software

Utilize centrally managed anti-malware software to continuously monitor and

defend each of the organization's workstations and servers.

●

Page 81

2.6 (L2) Ensure user consent to apps accessing company data on

their behalf is not allowed (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

By default, users can consent to applications accessing your organization's data,

although only for some permissions. For example, by default a user can consent to

allow an app to access their own mailbox or the Teams conversations for a team the

user owns, but cannot consent to allow an app unattended access to read and write to

all SharePoint sites in your organization.

Do not allow users to grant consent to apps accessing company data on their behalf.

Rationale:

Attackers commonly use custom applications to trick users into granting them access to

company data.

While allowing users to consent by themselves does allow users to easily acquire useful

applications that integrate with Microsoft 365, Azure and other services, it can represent

a risk if not used and monitored carefully.

Disable future user consent operations to help reduce your threat-surface and mitigate

this risk. If user consent is disabled, previous consent grants will still be honored but all

future consent operations must be performed by an administrator.

Impact:

If user consent is disabled, previous consent grants will still be honored but all future

consent operations must be performed by an administrator. Tenant-wide admin consent

can be requested by users through an integrated administrator consent request

workflow or through organizational support processes.

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Audit:

To verify that user consent to apps accessing company data on their behalf is not

allowed, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and Azure Active Directory.

2. Select Enterprise applications from the Azure navigation pane.

3. Under Security select Consent and permissions.

4. Verify User consent for applications is set to Do not allow user consent.

To verify that user consent to apps accessing company data on their behalf is not

allowed, use the Microsoft Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Microsoft Online service using Connect-MSOLService.

2. Run the following Microsoft Online PowerShell command:

Get-MsolCompanyInformation | Select-Object

UsersPermissionToUserConsentToAppEnabled

3. Verify the value for UsersPermissionToUserConsentToAppEnabled is set to False.

Remediation:

To prohibit user consent to apps accessing company data on their behalf, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and Azure Active Directory.

2. Select Enterprise applications from the Azure navigation pane.

3. Under Security select Consent and permissions.

4. Under User consent for applications select Do not allow user consent.

5. Click the Save option at the top of the window.

To prohibit user consent to apps accessing company data on their behalf, use the

Microsoft Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Microsoft Online service using Connect-MSOLService.

2. Run the following Microsoft Online PowerShell command:

Set-MsolCompanySettings -UsersPermissionToUserConsentToAppEnabled $False

Default Value:

UI - Allow user consent for apps PowerShell - True

Page 83

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/manage-apps/configure-

user-consent?tabs=azure-portal

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists

Configure data access control lists based on a user’s need to know. Apply data

access control lists, also known as access permissions, to local and remote file

systems, databases, and applications.

●

14.6 Protect Information through Access Control Lists

Protect all information stored on systems with file system, network share,

claims, application, or database specific access control lists. These controls will

enforce the principle that only authorized individuals should have access to the

information based on their need to access the information as a part of their

responsibilities.

●

Page 84

2.7 (L2) Ensure the admin consent workflow is enabled

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

Without an admin consent workflow (Preview), a user in a tenant where user consent is

disabled will be blocked when they try to access any app that requires permissions to

access organizational data. The user sees a generic error message that says they're

unauthorized to access the app and they should ask their admin for help.

Rationale:

The admin consent workflow (Preview) gives admins a secure way to grant access to

applications that require admin approval. When a user tries to access an application but

is unable to provide consent, they can send a request for admin approval. The request

is sent via email to admins who have been designated as reviewers. A reviewer acts on

the request, and the user is notified of the action.

Impact:

To approve requests, a reviewer must be a global administrator, cloud application

administrator, or application administrator. The reviewer must already have one of these

admin roles assigned; simply designating them as a reviewer doesn't elevate their

privileges.

Audit:

To verify the admin consent workflow (Preview) is enabled, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and Azure Active Directory.

2. Select Enterprise applications from the Azure Navigation pane.

3. Under Manage select Users settings.

4. Verify that Users can request admin consent to apps they are unable to

consent to is set to Yes.

Page 85

Remediation:

To enable the admin consent workflow (Preview), use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and Azure Active Directory.

2. Select Enterprise applications from the Azure Navigation pane.

3. Under Manage select Users settings.

4. Set Users can request admin consent to apps they are unable to consent

to to Yes under Admin consent requests.

5. Under the Reviewers choose the Roles, Groups that you would like to review

user generated app consent requests.

6. Select Save at the top of the window.

Default Value:

• Users can request admin consent to apps they are unable to consent to:

• Selected users to review admin consent requests: None

• Selected users will receive email notifications for requests: Yes

• Selected users will receive request expiration reminders: Yes

• Consent request expires after (days): 30

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

2.5 Allowlist Authorized Software

Use technical controls, such as application allowlisting, to ensure that only

authorized software can execute or be accessed. Reassess bi-annually, or more

frequently.

●

18.3 Verify That Acquired Software is Still Supported

Verify that the version of all software acquired from outside your organization

is still supported by the developer or appropriately hardened based on developer

security recommendations.

●

Page 86

2.8 (L2) - Ensure users installing Outlook add-ins is not allowed

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

By default, users can install add-ins in their Microsoft Outlook Desktop client, allowing

data access within the client application.

Do not allow users to install add-ins in Outlook.

Rationale:

Attackers commonly use vulnerable and custom-built add-ins to access data in user

applications.

While allowing users to install add-ins by themselves does allow them to easily acquire

useful add-ins that integrate with Microsoft applications, it can represent a risk if not

used and monitored carefully.

Disable future user's ability to install add-ins in Microsoft Outlook helps reduce your

threat-surface and mitigate this risk.

Impact:

Implementation of this change will impact both end users and administrators. End users

will not be able to integrate third-party applications that they may wish to use.

Administrators are likely to receive requests from end users to grant them permission to

necessary third-party applications.

Audit:

To verify that users installing Outlook add-ins is not allowed, use the Microsoft

365 Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and Exchange.

2. Click on the Classic Exchange admin center at the bottom.

3. Select permissions from the Exchange navigation pane.

4. Select user roles.

5. Double click Default Role Assignment to open it and verify My Custom Apps My

Marketplace Apps and My ReadWriteMailboxApps are Not Checked.

Page 87

To verify that users installing Outlook add-ins is not allowed, use the Microsoft

Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Microsoft Online service using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Microsoft Online PowerShell command:

Get-EXOMailbox | Select-Object -Unique RoleAssignmentPolicy | ForEach-Object

{ Get-RoleAssignmentPolicy -Identity $_.RoleAssignmentPolicy | Where-Object

{$_.AssignedRoles -like "*Apps*"}} | Select-Object Identity,

@{Name="AssignedRoles"; Expression={Get-Mailbox | Select-Object -Unique

RoleAssignmentPolicy | ForEach-Object { Get-RoleAssignmentPolicy -Identity

$_.RoleAssignmentPolicy | Select-Object -ExpandProperty AssignedRoles |

Where-Object {$_ -like "*Apps*"}}}}

3. Verify My Custom Apps My Marketplace Apps and My ReadWriteMailboxApps are

not present.

Remediation:

To prohibit users installing Outlook add-ins, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and Exchange.

2. Click on the Classic Exchange admin center at the bottom.

3. Select permissions from the Exchange navigation pane.

4. Select user roles.

5. Double click Default Role Assignment and deselect My Custom Apps My

Marketplace Apps and My ReadWriteMailboxApps.

To prohibit users installing Outlook add-ins, use the Microsoft Online PowerShell

Module:

1. Connect to Microsoft Online service using Connect-MSOLService.

2. Run the following Microsoft Online PowerShell command:

$newPolicyName = "Role Assignment Policy - Prevent Add-ins"

$revisedRoles = "MyTeamMailboxes", "MyTextMessaging", "MyDistributionGroups",

"MyMailSubscriptions", "MyBaseOptions", "MyVoiceMail",

"MyProfileInformation", "MyContactInformation", "MyRetentionPolicies",

"MyDistributionGroupMembership"

New-RoleAssignmentPolicy -Name $newPolicyName -Roles $revisedRoles

Set-RoleAssignmentPolicy -id $newPolicyName -IsDefault

Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | Set-Mailbox -RoleAssignmentPolicy

$newPolicyName

If you have other Role Assignment Policies modify the last line to filter out your

custom policies

Page 88

Default Value:

UI - My Custom Apps is Checked, My Marketplace Apps is Checked, and My

ReadWriteMailboxApps is Checked

PowerShell - My Custom Apps My Marketplace Apps and My ReadWriteMailboxApps are

Present

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

9.4 Restrict Unnecessary or Unauthorized Browser and

Email Client Extensions

Restrict, either through uninstalling or disabling, any unauthorized or

unnecessary browser or email client plugins, extensions, and add-on

applications.

●

5.1 Establish Secure Configurations

Maintain documented, standard security configuration standards for all

authorized operating systems and software.

●

Page 89

2.9 (L1) - Ensure users installing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

add-ins is not allowed (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

By default, users can install add-ins in their Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

applications, allowing data access within the application.

Do not allow users to install add-ins in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

Rationale:

Attackers commonly use vulnerable and custom-built add-ins to access data in user

applications.

While allowing users to install add-ins by themselves does allow them to easily acquire

useful add-ins that integrate with Microsoft applications, it can represent a risk if not

used and monitored carefully.

Disable future user's ability to install add-ins in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint

helps reduce your threat-surface and mitigate this risk.

Impact:

Implementation of this change will impact both end users and administrators. End users

will not be able to install add-ins that they may want to install.

Audit:

To verify that users installing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint add-ins is not

allowed, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Settings from the navigation pane.

2. Select Org settings from the navigation pane.

3. Under Services select User owned apps and services.

4. Verify Let users access the Office Store and Let users start trials on

behalf of your organization are Not Checked.

Page 90

Remediation:

To prohibit users installing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint add-ins, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Settings from the navigation pane.

2. Select Org Settings from the navigation pane.

3. Under Services select User owned apps and services.

4. De-Select Let users access the Office Store and Let users start trials on

behalf of your organization.

5. Click Save.

Default Value:

Let users access the Office Store is Checked

Let users start trials on behalf of your organization is Checked

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

4.8 Uninstall or Disable Unnecessary Services on

Enterprise Assets and Software

Uninstall or disable unnecessary services on enterprise assets and software,

such as an unused file sharing service, web application module, or service

function.

●

5.1 Establish Secure Configurations

Maintain documented, standard security configuration standards for all

authorized operating systems and software.

●

Page 91

2.10 (L1) Ensure internal phishing protection for Forms is enabled

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Microsoft Forms can be used for phishing attacks by asking personal or sensitive

information and collecting the results. Microsoft 365 has built-in protection that will

proactively scan for phishing attempt in forms such personal information request.

Rationale:

Enabling internal phishing protection for Microsoft Forms will prevent attackers using

forms for phishing attacks by asking personal or other sensitive information and URLs.

Impact:

If potential phishing was detected, the form will be temporarily blocked and cannot be

distributed and response collection will not happen until it is unblocked by the

administrator or keywords were removed by the creator.

Audit:

To verify Microsoft Forms settings use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Expand Settings then select Org settings.

2. Under Services select Microsoft Forms.

3. Ensure the checkbox labeled Add internal phishing protection is checked

under Phishing protection.

Remediation:

To set Microsoft Forms settings use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Expand Settings then select Org settings.

2. Under Services select Microsoft Forms.

3. Select the checkbox for Add internal phishing protection under Phishing

protection.

4. Click Save.

Default Value:

Internal Phishing Protection enabled.

Page 92

References:

1. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/administrator-settings-for-microsoft-

forms-48161c55-fbae-4f37-8951-9e3befc0248b

2. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/review-and-unblock-forms-or-users-

detected-and-blocked-for-potential-phishing-879a90d7-6ef9-4145-933a-

fb53a430bced

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

10.1 Deploy and Maintain Anti-Malware Software

Deploy and maintain anti-malware software on all enterprise assets.

●

14.2 Train Workforce Members to Recognize Social

Engineering Attacks

Train workforce members to recognize social engineering attacks, such as

phishing, pre-texting, and tailgating.

●

Page 93

2.11 (L1) Ensure that Sways cannot be shared with people

outside of your organization (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Disable external sharing of Sway items such as reports, newsletters, presentations etc

that could contain sensitive information.

Rationale:

Disable external sharing of Sway documents that can contain sensitive information to

prevent accidental or arbitrary data leak.

Impact:

Interactive reports, presentations, newsletters and other items created in Sway will not

be shared outside the organization by users.

Audit:

To verify Sways cannot be viewed outside of your organization use the Microsoft

365 Admin Center:

1. Expand Settings then select Org settings.

2. Under Services select Sway.

3. Confirm that under Sharing the following are not checked

•

Let people in your organization share their sways with people outside

your organization

Page 94

Remediation:

To ensure Sways cannot be viewed outside of your organization use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Expand Settings then select Org settings.

2. Under Services select Sway.

3. Under Sharing uncheck the following

•

Let people in your organization share their sways with people outside

your organization

4. Click Save

Default Value:

Let people in your organization share their sways with people outside your

organization - Enabled

References:

1. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/administrator-settings-for-sway-

d298e79b-b6ab-44c6-9239-

aa312f5784d4#:~:text=Navigate%20to%20Settings%20%3E%20Settings.,option

s%2C%20uncheck%20the%20check%20boxes.

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

4.8 Uninstall or Disable Unnecessary Services on

Enterprise Assets and Software

Uninstall or disable unnecessary services on enterprise assets and software,

such as an unused file sharing service, web application module, or service

function.

●

13.1 Maintain an Inventory Sensitive Information

Maintain an inventory of all sensitive information stored, processed, or

transmitted by the organization's technology systems, including those located

onsite or at a remote service provider.

●

Page 95

3 Data Management

Page 96

3.1 (L2) Ensure the customer lockbox feature is enabled

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 2

Description:

You should enable the Customer Lockbox feature. It requires Microsoft to get your

approval for any datacenter operation that grants a Microsoft support engineer or other

employee direct access to any of your data. For example, in some cases a Microsoft

support engineer might need access to your Microsoft 365 content in order to help

troubleshoot and fix an issue for you. Customer lockbox requests also have an

expiration time, and content access is removed after the support engineer has fixed the

issue.

Rationale:

Enabling this feature protects your data against data spillage and exfiltration.

Impact:

The impact associated with this setting is a requirement to grant Microsoft access to the

tenant environment prior to a Microsoft engineer accessing the environment for support

or troubleshooting.

Audit:

To verify the Customer Lockbox feature is enabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Portal:

1. Browse to the Microsoft 365 admin center.

2. Expand Settings then select Org settings

3. Choose Security & privacy in the right pane.

4. Click Customer lockbox.

5. Ensure the box labeled Require approval for all data access requests is

checked.

Page 97

To verify the Customer Lockbox feature is enabled, use the Microsoft 365

SecureScore Portal:

1. Log in to the Microsoft 365 SecureScore portal

(https://securescore.microsoft.com) using admin permissions (global admin or a

custom admin role) for an Office 365 Enterprise, Microsoft 365 Business, or

Office 365 Business Premium subscription.

2. Search for Turn on customer lockbox feature under Improvement actions

To verify the Customer Lockbox feature is enabled, use the REST API:

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/security/secureScores

To verify the Customer Lockbox feature is enabled, use the Exchange Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Run Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-OrganizationConfig |Select-Object CustomerLockBoxEnabled

4. Verify the value is set to True

Remediation:

To enable the Customer Lockbox feature, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Portal:

1. Browse to the Microsoft 365 admin center.

2. Expand Settings then select Org settings

3. Choose Security & privacy in the right pane.

4. Click Customer Lockbox.

5. Check the box Require approval for all data access requests.

6. Click Save.

To set the Customer Lockbox feature to enabled, use the Exchange Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Run Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Set-OrganizationConfig -CustomerLockBoxEnabled $true

Default Value:

Disabled

Page 98

3.2 (L2) Ensure SharePoint Online Information Protection policies

are set up and used (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

You should set up and use SharePoint Online data classification policies on data stored

in your SharePoint Online sites.

Rationale:

The policies will help categorize your most important data so you can effectively protect

it from illicit access, and will help make it easier to investigate discovered breaches.

Impact:

Creation of data classification policies will not cause a significant impact to an

organization. However, ensuring long term adherence with policies can potentially be a

significant training and ongoing compliance effort across an organization. Organizations

should ensure that training and compliance planning is part of the classification policy

creation process.

Audit:

To verify data classification policies are set up, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin centers select Compliance to open the Microsoft Purview

compliance portal.

2. Under Solutions click Information protection

3. Ensure Labels exist.

4. Click on the Label policies tab

5. Ensure that a Label policy exists and is published accordingly.

Remediation:

To set up data classification policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers select Compliance to open the Microsoft Purview

compliance portal.

2. Under Solutions click Information protection

3. Select Labels tab

4. Click Create a label to create a label.

5. Select the label and click on the Publish label

6. Fill out the forms to create the policy.

Page 99

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.7 Establish and Maintain a Data Classification Scheme

Establish and maintain an overall data classification scheme for the enterprise.

Enterprises may use labels, such as “Sensitive,” “Confidential,” and “Public,” and

classify their data according to those labels. Review and update the classification

scheme annually, or when significant enterprise changes occur that could impact

this Safeguard.

●

13.1 Maintain an Inventory Sensitive Information

Maintain an inventory of all sensitive information stored, processed, or

transmitted by the organization's technology systems, including those located

onsite or at a remote service provider.

●

14.6 Protect Information through Access Control Lists

Protect all information stored on systems with file system, network share, claims,

application, or database specific access control lists. These controls will enforce the

principle that only authorized individuals should have access to the information

based on their need to access the information as a part of their responsibilities.

●

Page 100

3.3 (L2) Ensure external domains are not allowed in Skype or

Teams (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

As of December 2021 the default for Teams external communication is set to 'People in

my organization can communicate with Teams users whose accounts aren't managed

by an organization.' This means that users can communicate with personal Microsoft

accounts (e.g. Hotmail, Outlook etc.), which presents data loss / phishing / social

engineering risks.

NOTE: Skype for business is deprecated as of July 31, 2021 although these settings

may still be valid for a period of time. See the link in the reference for more information.

Rationale:

You should not allow your users to communicate with Skype or Teams users outside

your organization. While there are legitimate, productivity-improving scenarios for this, it

also represents a potential security threat because those external users will be able to

interact with your users over Skype for Business or Teams. Users are prone to data loss

/ phishing / social engineering attacks via Teams.

Impact:

Impact associated with this change is highly dependent upon current practices in the

tenant. If users do not regularly communicate with external parties using Skype or

Teams channels, then minimal impact is likely. However, if users do regularly utilize

Teams and Skype for client communication, potentially significant impacts could occur,

and users should be contacts, and if necessary, alternate mechanisms to continue this

communication should be identified prior to disabling external access to Teams and

Skype.

Page 101

Audit:

To review user communication with external Teams organizations, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Centers select Teams.

2. Under Users select External access

3. Under Teams and Skype for Business users in external organizations

ensure that Block all external domains

Note: If organizational policy allows select any allowed external domains.

4. Under Teams accounts not managed by an organization ensure the slider is set

to Off.

5. Under Skype users ensure the slider is set to Off.

Remediation:

To prohibit user communication with external Teams organizations, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and Teams.

2. Under Users select External access

3. Under Teams and Skype for Business users in external organizations

Select Block all external domains

Note: If organizational policy allows select any allowed external domains.

4. Under Teams accounts not managed by an organization move the slider to Off.

5. Under Skype users move the slider is to Off.

6. Click Save.

Default Value:

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/skypeforbusiness/set-up-skype-for-business-

online/set-up-skype-for-business-online

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/microsoftteams/manage-external-

access?WT.mc_id=TeamsAdminCenterCSH

Page 102

3.4 (L1) Ensure DLP policies are enabled (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Enabling Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies allows Exchange Online and SharePoint

Online content to be scanned for specific types of data like social security numbers,

credit card numbers, or passwords.

Rationale:

Enabling DLP policies alerts users and administrators that specific types of data should

not be exposed, helping to protect the data from accidental exposure.

Impact:

Enabling a Teams DLP policy will allow sensitive data in Exchange Online and

SharePoint Online to be detected or blocked. Always ensure to follow appropriate

procedures in regards to testing and implementation of DLP policies based on your

organizational standards.

Audit:

To verify DLP policies are enabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers Select Compliance to open Microsoft Purview.

2. Under Solutions select Data loss prevention then Policies.

• Alternatively you may visit

https://compliance.microsoft.com/datalossprevention

3. Verify that policies exist and are enabled

Remediation:

To enable DLP policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers Select Compliance to open Microsoft Purview

2. Under Solutions select Data loss prevention then Policies.

3. Click Create policy.

Page 103

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/compliance/dlp-learn-about-

dlp?view=o365-worldwide

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.1 Establish and Maintain a Data Management Process

Establish and maintain a data management process. In the process, address

data sensitivity, data owner, handling of data, data retention limits, and disposal

requirements, based on sensitivity and retention standards for the enterprise.

Review and update documentation annually, or when significant enterprise changes

occur that could impact this Safeguard.

●

13 Data Protection

Data Protection

14.7 Enforce Access Control to Data through Automated

Tools

Use an automated tool, such as host-based Data Loss Prevention, to enforce

access controls to data even when data is copied off a system.

●

Page 104

3.5 (L1) Ensure DLP policies are enabled for Microsoft Teams

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 1

Description:

Enabling Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies for Microsoft Teams, blocks sensitive

content when shared in teams or channels. Content to be scanned for specific types of

data like social security numbers, credit card numbers, or passwords.

Rationale:

Enabling DLP policies alerts users and administrators that specific types of data should

not be exposed, helping to protect the data from accidental exposure.

Impact:

Enabling a Teams DLP policy will allow sensitive data in Teams channels or chat

messages to be detected or blocked.

Audit:

To verify DLP policies are enabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Compliance under Admin centers to open Microsoft Purview compliance

portal.

2. Under Solutions select Data loss prevention

3. Click Policies.

4. Verify that policies exist and are enabled

5. Ensure that under Locations to apply the policy the policies include Teams

chat and channel messages

Page 105

To verify DLP for Microsoft Teams is enabled for all users, use the Exchange

Online / Compliance PowerShell Module:

1. Run Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline, then run the following

Import-Module ExchangeOnlineManagement

3. Then connect to the Security and Compliance Center via the following Connect-

IPPSSession

4. Run the following PowerShell command to see what DLP Policies are created:

Get-DlpCompliancePolicy

5. Next you will run the following to look at the policy details to ensure the required

users are included TeamsLocation and that no undesired users are excluded

TeamsLocationException

Get-DlpCompliancePolicy -Identity "POLICYNAME FROM ABOVE" | Select-Object

TeamsLocation*

Remediation:

To enable DLP policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Compliance under Admin centers to open Microsoft 365 Purview

compliance portal.

2. Under Solutions select Data loss prevention

3. Click Policies.

4. Click Create policy.

5. Either start with a template or create a custom policy.

6. Provide a Name for your policy

7. At the Choose locations step, either choose Protect content in Exchange

email, Teams chats and channel messages and OneDrive and SharePoint

documents or select Let me choose specific locations. If you select Let me

choose specific locations, ensure that Teams chat and channel messages is

selected.

8. Ensure that the proper DLP rules are created for the type of content to be

detected and what actions should be taken.

Default Value:

This is not enabled by default.

Page 106

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/exchange/connect-to-scc-

powershell?view=exchange-ps

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.1 Establish and Maintain a Data Management Process

Establish and maintain a data management process. In the process, address

data sensitivity, data owner, handling of data, data retention limits, and disposal

requirements, based on sensitivity and retention standards for the enterprise.

Review and update documentation annually, or when significant enterprise changes

occur that could impact this Safeguard.

●

13 Data Protection

Data Protection

14.7 Enforce Access Control to Data through Automated

Tools

Use an automated tool, such as host-based Data Loss Prevention, to enforce

access controls to data even when data is copied off a system.

●

Page 107

3.6 (L2) Ensure that external users cannot share files, folders,

and sites they do not own (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

SharePoint gives users the ability to share files, folder, and site collections. Internal

users can share with external collaborators, who with the right permissions, could share

those to another external party.

Rationale:

Sharing and collaboration are key; however, file, folder, or site collection owners should

have the authority over what external users get shared with to prevent unauthorized

disclosures of information.

Impact:

Impact associated with this change is highly dependent upon current practices. If users

do not regularly share with external parties, then minimal impact is likely. However, if

users do regularly share with guests/externally, minimum impacts could occur as those

external users will be unable to 're-share' content.

Audit:

To verify SharePoint sharing settings, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers select SharePoint.

2. Expand Policies then select Sharing.

3. Expand More external sharing settings, verify that Allow guests to share

items they don't own is unchecked.

To verify Prevent external users from sharing files, folders, and sites that they

don’t own, use the SharePoint Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online service using Connect-SPOService.

2. Run the following SharePoint Online PowerShell command:

Get-SPOTenant | ft PreventExternalUsersFromResharing

3. Verify PreventExternalUsersFromResharing is set True

Page 108

Remediation:

To set SharePoint sharing settings, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin centers select SharePoint.

2. Expand Policies then select Sharing.

3. Expand More external sharing settings, uncheck Allow guests to share

items they don't own.

4. Click Save.

To Set Prevent external users from sharing files, folders, and sites that they don’t

own, use the SharePoint Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online service using Connect-SPOService.

2. Run the following SharePoint Online PowerShell command:

Set-SPOTenant -PreventExternalUsersFromResharing $True

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists

Configure data access control lists based on a user’s need to know. Apply data

access control lists, also known as access permissions, to local and remote file

systems, databases, and applications.

●

14.6 Protect Information through Access Control Lists

Protect all information stored on systems with file system, network share,

claims, application, or database specific access control lists. These controls will

enforce the principle that only authorized individuals should have access to the

information based on their need to access the information as a part of their

responsibilities.

●

Page 109

3.7 (L2) Ensure external file sharing in Teams is enabled for only

approved cloud storage services (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

Microsoft Teams enables collaboration via file sharing. This file sharing is conducted

within Teams, using SharePoint Online, by default; however, third-party cloud services

are allowed as well.

NOTE: Skype for business is deprecated as of July 31, 2021 although these settings

may still be valid for a period of time. See the the link in the reference for more

information.

Rationale:

Ensuring that only authorized cloud storage providers are accessible from Teams will

help to dissuade the use of non-approved storage providers.

Impact:

Impact associated with this change is highly dependent upon current practices in the

tenant. If users do not use other storage providers, then minimal impact is likely.

However, if users do regularly utilize providers outside of the tenant this will affect their

ability to continue to do so.

Page 110

Audit:

To verify external file sharing in Teams, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers choose Teams.

2. Expand Teams select Teams settings.

3. Under Files verify that only authorized cloud storage options are set On.

** To verify external file sharing in Teams you may also utilize PowerShell. Ensure that

the Skype for business online, Windows PowerShell module and Microsoft Teams

module are both installed. **

1. Connect to Microsoft Teams using Connect-MicrosoftTeams

2. Run the following command to verify which cloud storage providers are enabled

for Teams

Get-CsTeamsClientConfiguration | select allow*

3. Verify that only allowed authorized providers are set to 'True'.

Page 111

Remediation:

To Set external file sharing in Teams, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers choose Teams.

2. Expand Teams select Teams settings.

3. Set each cloud storage service under Files to On if it is authorized.

** To verify external file sharing in Teams you may also utilize PowerShell. Ensure that

the Skype for business online, Windows PowerShell module and Microsoft Teams

module are both installed. **

1. Install the PowerShell module for teams. Skype module will need downloaded

from Microsoft.

Install-Module MicrosoftTeams

Import-Module SkypeOnlineConnector

2. Connect to your tenant as a Global Administrator, methods will differ based on

whether 2FA is enabled. See the following article for more information -

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/enterprise/powershell/manage-skype-

for-business-online-with-office-365-powershell

3. Run the following command to verify which cloud storage providers are enabled

for Teams

Get-CsTeamsClientConfiguration | select allow*

4. Run the following PowerShell command to disable external providers that are not

authorized. (the example disables ShareFile, GoogleDrive, Box, and DropBox

Set-CsTeamsClientConfiguration -AllowGoogleDrive $false -AllowShareFile

$false -AllowBox $false -AllowDropBox $false -AllowEgnyte $false

5. You may verify this worked by running the following PowerShell command again.

Get-CsTeamsClientConfiguration | select allow*

Default Value:

Page 112

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/skypeforbusiness/set-up-skype-for-business-

online/set-up-skype-for-business-online

Additional Information:

Skype Online Connector - https://www.microsoft.com/en-

us/download/details.aspx?id=39366

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists

Configure data access control lists based on a user’s need to know. Apply

data access control lists, also known as access permissions, to local and remote

file systems, databases, and applications.

●

14.7 Enforce Access Control to Data through Automated

Tools

Use an automated tool, such as host-based Data Loss Prevention, to enforce

access controls to data even when data is copied off a system.

●

Page 113

4 Email Security / Exchange Online

Page 114

4.1 (L1) Ensure the Common Attachment Types Filter is enabled

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

The Common Attachment Types Filter lets a user block known and custom malicious

file types from being attached to emails.

Rationale:

Blocking known malicious file types can help prevent malware-infested files from

infecting a host.

Impact:

Blocking common malicious file types should not cause an impact in modern computing

environments.

Audit:

To verify the Common Attachment Types Filter is enabled, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Portal:

1. Navigate to the Microsoft Admin Center and click Security.

2. Under Email & collaboration > Policies & rules > Threat policies.

3. Select Anti-malware and click on the highest priority policy.

4. In the Edit tab under Protection settings, verify that the Enable the common

attachments filter has the value of 'On`

To verify the Common Attachment Types Filter is enabled, use the Exchange

Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

Get-MalwareFilterPolicy -Identity Default | Select-Object EnableFileFilter

3. Verify EnableFileFilter is set to True.

Page 115

Remediation:

To enable the Common Attachment Types Filter, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Portal:

1. Navigate to the Microsoft Admin Center and click Security.

2. Under Email & collaboration > Policies & rules > Threat policies.

3. Select Anti-malware and click on the highest priority policy.

4. In the Edit tab under at the bottom click on Edit protection settings, check the

Enable the common attachments filter

To enable the Common Attachment Types Filter, use the Exchange Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

Set-MalwareFilterPolicy -Identity Default -EnableFileFilter $true

Default Value:

off

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/antispam-

antimalware/Get-MalwareFilterPolicy?view=exchange-ps

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/SecurityCompliance/configure-anti-

malware-policies#use-remote-powershell-to-configure-anti-malware-policies

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

9.6 Block Unnecessary File Types

Block unnecessary file types attempting to enter the enterprise’s email

gateway.

●

7.9 Block Unnecessary File Types

Block all e-mail attachments entering the organization's e-mail gateway if the

file types are unnecessary for the organization's business.

●

8.1 Utilize Centrally Managed Anti-malware Software

Utilize centrally managed anti-malware software to continuously monitor and

defend each of the organization's workstations and servers.

●

Page 116

4.2 (L1) Ensure Exchange Online Spam Policies are set to notify

administrators (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

In Microsoft 365 organizations with mailboxes in Exchange Online or standalone

Exchange Online Protection (EOP) organizations without Exchange Online mailboxes,

email messages are automatically protected against spam (junk email) by EOP.

Configure Exchange Online Spam Policies to copy emails and notify someone when a

sender in your tenant has been blocked for sending spam emails.

Rationale:

A blocked account is a good indication that the account in question has been breached

and an attacker is using it to send spam emails to other people.

Note: Audit and Remediation guidance may focus on the Default policy however, if a

Custom Policy exists in the organization's tenant then ensure the setting is set as

outlined in the highest priority policy listed.

Impact:

Notification of users that have been blocked should not cause an impact to the user.

Audit:

To verify the Exchange Online Spam Policies are set correctly, use the Microsoft

365 Admin Center:

1. Navigate to the Microsoft Admin Center and click Security

2. Under Email & collaboration > Policies & rules > Threat policies > Anti-

spam policies

3. Click on the Anti-spam outbound policy (default).

4. Verify that Send a copy of outbound messages that exceed these limits to

these users and groups is set to On, ensure the email address is correct.

5. Verify that Notify these users and groups if a sender is blocked due to

sending outbound spam is set to On, ensure the email address is correct.

Page 117

To verify the Exchange Online Spam Policies are set correctly, use the Exchange

Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-HostedOutboundSpamFilterPolicy | Select-Object Bcc*, Notify*

3. Verify both BccSuspiciousOutboundMail and NotifyOutboundSpam are set to True

and the email addresses to be notified are correct.

Remediation:

To set the Exchange Online Spam Policies correctly, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Navigate to the Microsoft Admin Center and click Security

2. Under Email & collaboration > Policies & rules > Threat policies > Anti-

spam policies

3. Click on the Anti-spam outbound policy (default).

4. Select Edit protection settings then under Notifications

5. Check Send a copy of outbound messages that exceed these limits to

these users and groups then enter the desired email addresses.

6. Check Notify these users and groups if a sender is blocked due to

sending outbound spam then enter the desired email addresses.

7. Click Save.

To set the Exchange Online Spam Policies correctly, use the Exchange Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

$BccEmailAddress = @("<INSERT-EMAIL>")

$NotifyEmailAddress = @("<INSERT-EMAIL>")

Set-HostedOutboundSpamFilterPolicy -Identity Default -

BccSuspiciousOutboundAdditionalRecipients $BccEmailAddress -

BccSuspiciousOutboundMail $true -NotifyOutboundSpam $true -

NotifyOutboundSpamRecipients $NotifyEmailAddress

Default Value:

disabled

Page 118

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

17.5 Assign Key Roles and Responsibilities

Assign key roles and responsibilities for incident response, including staff from

legal, IT, information security, facilities, public relations, human resources, incident

responders, and analysts, as applicable. Review annually, or when significant

enterprise changes occur that could impact this Safeguard.

●

7.9 Block Unnecessary File Types

Block all e-mail attachments entering the organization's e-mail gateway if the file

types are unnecessary for the organization's business.

●

7.10 Sandbox All Email Attachments

Use sandboxing to analyze and block inbound email attachments with malicious

behavior.

●

Page 119

4.3 (L1) Ensure all forms of mail forwarding are blocked and/or

disabled (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should set your Exchange Online mail transport rules to not forward email to

domains outside of your organization. Automatic forwarding to prevent users from auto-

forwarding mail via Outlook or Outlook on the web should also be disabled. Alongside

this Client Rules Forwarding Block, which prevents the use of any client-side rules that

forward email to an external domain, should also be enabled.

NOTE: Any exclusions should be implemented based on organizational policy.

Rationale:

Attackers often create these rules to exfiltrate data from your tenancy, this could be

accomplished via access to an end-user account or otherwise.

Impact:

Care should be taken before implementation to ensure there is no business need for

case-by-case auto-forwarding. Disabling auto-forwarding to remote domains will affect

all users and in an organization. Any exclusions should be implemented based on

organizational policy.

Audit:

NOTE: Audit is a three step procedure as follows:

STEP 1: Transport rules

To verify the mail transport rules do not forward email to external domains, use

the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Exchange.

2. Select Mail Flow and Rules.

3. Review the rules and verify that none of them are forwards to external domains.

Page 120

To verify that no rules are forwarding the email to external domains, you can also

use the Exchange Online PowerShell module:

1. Connect to Exchange online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command to review the Transport Rules that are

redirecting email:

Get-TransportRule | Where-Object {$_.RedirectMessageTo -ne $null} | ft

Name,RedirectMessageTo

3. Verify that none of the addresses are going to external domains

STEP 2: Automatic forwarding

To verify automatic forwarding is disabled using the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Exchange under Admin centers

2. Under Mail flow select Remote domains

3. Click on the default policy.

4. Click Edit reply types in the pane on the right

5. Ensure Allow automatic forwarding is not checked.

To verify that automatic forwarding is disabled, you may use the Exchange Online

PowerShell:

1. Connect to Exchange online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell to find if auto-forwarding is enabled to remote

domains:

Get-RemoteDomain Default | fl AllowedOOFType, AutoForwardEnabled

3. Review the AutoForwardEnabled parameter, and verify it is set to False.

Page 121

STEP 3: Block client rules for forwarding

To verify the Client Rules Forwarding Block is enabled, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Go to Exchange Admin Center.

2. Select mail flow.

3. Select Rules.

4. Verify that 'Client Rules To External Block' exists.

To verify the Client Rules Forwarding Block is enabled, use the Exchange Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

Get-TransportRule | where { $_.Identity -like '*Client Rules To External

Block*' }

• Note that Client Rules To External Block is a placeholder for the name of said

rule.

3. Verify that 'Client Rules To External Block' state is set to Enabled.

Remediation:

NOTE: Remediation is a three step procedure as follows:

STEP 1: Transport rules

To alter the mail transport rules so they do not forward email to external domains,

use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Exchange.

2. Select Mail Flow and Rules.

3. For each rule that forwards email to external domains, select the rule and click

the 'Delete' icon.

Page 122

To perform remediation you may also use the Exchange Online PowerShell

Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online user Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Remove-TransportRule {RuleName}

3. To verify this worked you may re-run the audit command as follows:

Get-TransportRule | Where-Object {$_.RedirectMessageTo -ne $null} | ft

Name,RedirectMessageTo

STEP 2: Automatic forwarding

To verify disable automatic forwarding using the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Exchange under Admin centers

2. Under Mail flow select Remote domains

3. Click on the default policy.

4. Click Edit reply types in the pane on the right

5. Ensure Allow automatic forwarding is not checked.

To perform remediation you may use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell to disable auto-forwarding to remote domains:

Set-RemoteDomain Default -AutoForwardEnabled $false

3. Run the following PowerShell to verify AutoForwardEnabled is now set to False.

Get-RemoteDomain Default | fl AllowedOOFType, AutoForwardEnabled

Page 123 
STEP 3: Block client rules for forwarding 
To create the Client Rules Forwarding Block, use the Exchange Online 
PowerShell Module: 
1.  Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline. 
2.  Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell commands to create a rule: 
$rejectMessageText = "To improve security, auto-forwarding rules to external 
addresses have been disabled. Please contact your Microsoft Partner if you'd 
like to set up an exception." 
 
New-TransportRule -name "Client Rules To External Block" -Priority 0 -
SentToScope NotInOrganization -FromScope InOrganization -MessageTypeMatches 
AutoForward -RejectMessageEnhancedStatusCode 5.7.1 -RejectMessageReasonText 
$rejectMessageText 
•  Note that Client Rules To External Block is a placeholder name, this may be 
named based on preference. 
 
3.  Verify that Client Rules To External Block or other named preference rule is 
created. 
References: 
1.  https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/policy-and-compliance/mail-flow-
rules/mail-flow-rule-procedures?view=exchserver-2019 
2.  https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/exovoice/disable-automatic-
forwarding-in-office-365-and-exchange-server-to-prevent-information-leakage 
3.  https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/mail-flow/set-
remotedomain?view=exchange-ps 
4.  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/exchange-team-blog/all-you-need-to-
know-about-automatic-email-forwarding-in/ba-
p/2074888#:~:text=%20%20%20Automatic%20forwarding%20option%20%20,% 

Page 124

4.4 (L1) Ensure mail transport rules do not whitelist specific

domains (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should set your Exchange Online mail transport rules so they do not whitelist any

specific domains.

Rationale:

Whitelisting domains in transport rules bypasses regular malware and phishing

scanning, which can enable an attacker to launch attacks against your users from a

safe haven domain.

Impact:

Care should be taken before implementation to ensure there is no business need for

case-by-case whitelisting. Removing all whitelisted domains could affect incoming mail

flow to an organization although modern systems sending legitimate mail should have

no issue with this.

Audit:

To verify the mail transport rules do not whitelist any specific domains, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Exchange.

2. Select Mail Flow and Rules.

3. Review the rules and verify that none of them whitelist any specific domains.

To verify that mail transport rules do not whitelist any domains, you can also use

the Exchange Online PowerShell:

1. Connect to Exchange online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-TransportRule | Where-Object {($_.setscl -eq -1 -and $_.SenderDomainIs -

ne $null)} | ft Name,SenderDomainIs

Page 125

Remediation:

To alter the mail transport rules so they do not whitelist any specific domains,

use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Exchange.

2. Select Mail Flow and Rules.

3. For each rule that whitelists specific domains, select the rule and click the

'Delete' icon.

To remove mail transport rules you may also use the Exchange Online

PowerShell:

1. Connect to Exchange online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Remove-TransportRule {RuleName}

3. Verify the rules no longer exists.

Get-TransportRule | Where-Object {($_.setscl -eq -1 -and $_.SenderDomainIs -

ne $null)} | ft Name,SenderDomainIs

Page 126

4.5 (L2) Ensure Safe Attachments policy is enabled (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 2

Description:

Enabling the Safe Attachments policy extends malware protections to include routing all

messages and attachments without a known malware signature to a special hypervisor

environment. In that environment, a behavior analysis is performed using a variety of

machine learning and analysis techniques to detect malicious intent.

Rationale:

This policy increases the likelihood of identifying and stopping previously unknown

malware.

Impact:

Delivery of email with attachments may be delayed while scanning is occurring.

Audit:

To verify the Safe Attachments policy is enabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Click Security to open the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.

2. Under E-mail & Collaboration navigate to Policies & rules > Threat

policies

3. Under Policies select Safe Attachments.

4. Verify that at least one policy exists.

To verify the Safe Attachments policy is enabled, you can also use the Exchange

Online PowerShell:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-SafeAttachmentPolicy | where-object {$_.Enable -eq "True"}

Page 127

Remediation:

To enable the Safe Attachments policy, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Click Security to open the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.

2. Under E-mail & Collaboration navigate to Policies & rules > Threat

policies

3. Under Policies select Safe Attachments.

4. Click + Create.

5. Enter Policy Name and Description.

6. Select Block, Monitor, Replace or Dynamic Delivery.

7. Select Save.

Default Value:

disabled

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

9.7 Deploy and Maintain Email Server Anti-Malware

Protections

Deploy and maintain email server anti-malware protections, such as

attachment scanning and/or sandboxing.

●

7.10 Sandbox All Email Attachments

Use sandboxing to analyze and block inbound email attachments with

malicious behavior.

●

8.1 Utilize Centrally Managed Anti-malware Software

Utilize centrally managed anti-malware software to continuously monitor and

defend each of the organization's workstations and servers.

●

Page 128

4.6 (L1) Ensure that an anti-phishing policy has been created

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 1

Description:

By default, Office 365 includes built-in features that help protect your users from

phishing attacks. Set up anti-phishing polices to increase this protection, for example by

refining settings to better detect and prevent impersonation and spoofing attacks. The

default policy applies to all users within the organization, and is a single view where you

can fine-tune anti-phishing protection. Custom policies can be created and configured

for specific users, groups or domains within the organization and will take precedence

over the default policy for the scoped users.

Rationale:

Protects users from phishing attacks (like impersonation and spoofing), and uses safety

tips to warn users about potentially harmful messages.

Impact:

Turning on Anti-Phishing should not cause an impact, messages will be displayed when

applicable.

Page 129

Audit:

To review the anti-phishing policy, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Click Security to open the Security portal.

2. Under Email & collaboration navigate to Policies & rules > Threat policies.

3. Select Anti-phishing.

4. Verify the Office365 AntiPhish Default (Default) policy exists.

To verify anti-phishing policy, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online service using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

Get-AntiPhishPolicy | ft Name

3. Verify Office365 Antiphish Default policy exists

Remediation:

To set the anti-phishing policy, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Click Security to open the Security portal.

2. Under Email & collaboration navigate to Policies & rules > Threat policies.

3. Select Anti-phishing.

4. Click Create to create an anti-phishing policy.

To create an anti-phishing policy, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online service using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

New-AntiPhishPolicy -Name "Office365 AntiPhish Policy"

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CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

9.7 Deploy and Maintain Email Server Anti-Malware

Protections

Deploy and maintain email server anti-malware protections, such as

attachment scanning and/or sandboxing.

●

7 Email and Web Browser Protections

Email and Web Browser Protections

Page 131

4.7 (L1) Ensure that DKIM is enabled for all Exchange Online

Domains (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should use DKIM in addition to SPF and DMARC to help prevent spoofers from

sending messages that look like they are coming from your domain.

Rationale:

By enabling DKIM with Office 365, messages that are sent from Exchange Online will

be cryptographically signed. This will allow the receiving email system to validate that

the messages were generated by a server that the organization authorized and not

being spoofed.

Impact:

There should be no impact of setting up DKIM however, organizations should ensure

appropriate setup to ensure continuous mail-flow.

Audit:

To review if DKIM is enabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Click Security to open the Security portal.

2. Under Email & collaboration navigate to Policies & rules > Threat policies.

3. Under Rules click DKIM

4. Click on each domain and confirm that Sign messages for this domain with

DKIM signatures is Enabled.

To verify DKIM is enabled, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online service using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

Get-DkimSigningConfig

3. Verify Enabled is set to True

Page 132

Remediation:

To setup DKIM records, first add the following records to your DNS system, for

each domain in Exchange Online that you plan to use to send email with:

1. For each accepted domain in Exchange Online, two DNS entries are required.

Host name: selector1._domainkey

Points to address or value: selector1-

<domainGUID>._domainkey.<initialDomain>

TTL: 3600

Host name: selector2._domainkey

Points to address or value: selector2-

<domainGUID>._domainkey.<initialDomain>

TTL: 3600

For Office 365, the selectors will always be selector1 or selector2.

domainGUID is the same as the domainGUID in the customized MX record for your

custom domain that appears before mail.protection.outlook.com. For example, in the

following MX record for the domain contoso.com, the domainGUID is contoso-com:

contoso.com. 3600 IN MX 5 contoso-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

The initial domain is the domain that you used when you signed up for Office 365. Initial

domains always end in on microsoft.com.

1. After the DNS records are created, enable DKIM signing in the Office 365 Admin

Portal

2. Launch the Security Admin Center.

3. Under Email & collaboration navigate to Policies & rules > Threat policies.

4. Under Rules click DKIM

5. Click on each domain and click Enable next to Sign messages for this domain

with DKIM signature.

To set DKIM is enabled, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online service using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

Set-DkimSigningConfig -Identity < domainName > -Enabled $True

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/SecurityCompliance/use-dkim-to-

validate-outbound-email

Page 133

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

9.5 Implement DMARC

To lower the chance of spoofed or modified emails from valid domains,

implement DMARC policy and verification, starting with implementing the Sender

Policy Framework (SPF) and the DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) standards.

●

7.8 Implement DMARC and Enable Receiver-Side

Verification

To lower the chance of spoofed or modified emails from valid domains,

implement Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance

(DMARC) policy and verification, starting by implementing the Sender Policy

Framework (SPF) and the DomainKeys Identified Mail(DKIM) standards.

●

Page 134

4.8 (L1) Ensure that SPF records are published for all Exchange

Domains (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

For each domain that is configured in Exchange, a corresponding Sender Policy

Framework (SPF) record should be created.

Rationale:

SPF records allow Exchange Online Protection and other mail systems know where

messages from your domains are allowed to originate. This information can be used to

by that system to determine how to treat the message based on if it is being spoofed or

is valid.

Impact:

There should be minimal impact of setting up SPF records however, organizations

should ensure proper SPF record setup as email could be flagged as spam if SPF is not

setup appropriately.

Audit:

To verify that SPF records are published for each Exchange Online Domain, do

the following:

1. Open a command prompt.

2. Type the following command:

nslookup -type=txt domain1.com

3. Ensure that a value exists and that it includes

include:spf.protection.outlook.com. This designates Exchange Online as a

designated sender.

To verify the SPF records are published, use the REST API for each domain:

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/domains/[DOMAIN.COM]/serviceConfigurationRec

ords

1. Ensure that a value exists that includes include:spf.protection.outlook.com.

This designates Exchange Online as a designated sender.

Page 135

Remediation:

To setup SPF records for Exchange Online accepted domains, perform the

following steps:

1. If all email in your domain is sent from and received by Exchange Online, add the

following TXT record for each Accepted Domain:

v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all

2. If there are other systems that send email in the environment, refer to this article

for the proper SPF configuration: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-

us/office365/SecurityCompliance/set-up-spf-in-office-365-to-help-prevent-

spoofing.

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/SecurityCompliance/set-up-spf-in-

office-365-to-help-prevent-spoofing

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

9.5 Implement DMARC

To lower the chance of spoofed or modified emails from valid domains,

implement DMARC policy and verification, starting with implementing the Sender

Policy Framework (SPF) and the DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) standards.

●

7.8 Implement DMARC and Enable Receiver-Side

Verification

To lower the chance of spoofed or modified emails from valid domains,

implement Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance

(DMARC) policy and verification, starting by implementing the Sender Policy

Framework (SPF) and the DomainKeys Identified Mail(DKIM) standards.

●

Page 136

4.9 (L1) Ensure DMARC Records for all Exchange Online

domains are published (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Publish Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC)

records for each Exchange Online Accepted Domain.

Rationale:

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) work

with Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) to

authenticate mail senders and ensure that destination email systems trust messages

sent from your domain.

Impact:

There should be no impact of setting up DMARC however, organizations should ensure

appropriate setup to ensure continuous mail-flow.

Audit:

To verify that DMARC records are published, perform the following steps:

1. Open a command prompt.

2. For each of the Accepted Domains in Exchange Online type the following

command:

nslookup -type=txt _dmarc.domain1.com

3. Ensure that a policy exists that starts with v=DMARC1;.

Page 137

Remediation:

To add DMARC records, use the following steps:

1. For each Exchange Online Accepted Domain, add the following record to DNS:

Record: _dmarc.domain1.com

Type: TXT

Value: v=DMARC1; p=none;

2. This will create a basic DMARC policy that audits compliance

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/SecurityCompliance/use-dmarc-to-

validate-email#CreateDMARCRecord

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

9.5 Implement DMARC

To lower the chance of spoofed or modified emails from valid domains,

implement DMARC policy and verification, starting with implementing the Sender

Policy Framework (SPF) and the DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) standards.

●

7.8 Implement DMARC and Enable Receiver-Side

Verification

To lower the chance of spoofed or modified emails from valid domains,

implement Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance

(DMARC) policy and verification, starting by implementing the Sender Policy

Framework (SPF) and the DomainKeys Identified Mail(DKIM) standards.

●

Page 138

4.10 (L1) Ensure notifications for internal users sending malware

is Enabled (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is the cloud-based filtering service that protects your

organization against spam, malware, and other email threats. EOP is included in all

Microsoft 365 organizations with Exchange Online mailboxes.

EOP uses flexible anti-malware policies for malware protection settings. These policies

can be set to notify Admins of malicious activity.

Rationale:

This setting alerts administrators that an internal user sent a message that contained

malware. This may indicate an account or machine compromise, that would need to be

investigated.

Note: Audit and Remediation guidance may focus on the Default policy however, if a

Custom Policy exists in the organization's tenant then ensure the setting is set as

outlined in the highest priority policy listed.

Impact:

Notification of account with potential issues should not cause an impact to the user.

Audit:

To verify notifications for internal users sending malware is enabled, use the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Click Security to open the Security portal.

2. Under Email & collaboration navigate to Policies & rules > Threat policies.

3. Select Anti-malware.

4. Click on the Default policy.

5. Ensure the setting Notify an admin about undelivered messages from

internal senders is set to On and that there is at least one email address under

Administrator email address.

Page 139

To check the setting from PowerShell, use the Exchange Online Module for

PowerShell

1. Connect to Exchange Online by using the Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following command:

Get-MalwareFilterPolicy | fl Identity,

EnableInternalSenderAdminNotifications, InternalSenderAdminAddress

Remediation:

To enable notifications for internal users sending malware, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Click Security to open the Security portal.

2. Under Email & collaboration navigate to Policies & rules > Threat policies.

3. Select Anti-malware.

4. Click on the Default policy.

5. Click on Edit protection settings and change the settings for Notify an admin

about undelivered messages from internal senders to On and enter the email

address of the administrator who should be notified under Administrator email

address.

To check the setting from PowerShell, use the Exchange Online Module for

PowerShell

1. Connect to Exchange Online by using the Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following command:

set-MalwareFilterPolicy -Identity '{Identity Name}' -

EnableInternalSenderAdminNotifications $True -InternalSenderAdminAddress

{admin@domain1.com}

Page 140

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

17.5 Assign Key Roles and Responsibilities

Assign key roles and responsibilities for incident response, including staff from

legal, IT, information security, facilities, public relations, human resources, incident

responders, and analysts, as applicable. Review annually, or when significant

enterprise changes occur that could impact this Safeguard.

●

7.1 Ensure Use of Only Fully Supported Browsers and

Email Clients

Ensure that only fully supported web browsers and email clients are allowed to

execute in the organization, ideally only using the latest version of the browsers

and email clients provided by the vendor.

●

8.1 Utilize Centrally Managed Anti-malware Software

Utilize centrally managed anti-malware software to continuously monitor and

defend each of the organization's workstations and servers.

●

Page 141

4.11 (L2) Ensure MailTips are enabled for end users (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

MailTips assist end users with identifying strange patterns to emails they send

Rationale:

Setting up MailTips gives a visual aid to users when they send emails to large groups of

recipients or send emails to recipients not within the tenant.

Audit:

To verify MailTips are enabled, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Run Microsoft Exchange Online PowerShell Module

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-OrganizationConfig |Select-Object MailTipsAllTipsEnabled,

MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled, MailTipsGroupMetricsEnabled,

MailTipsLargeAudienceThreshold

4. Verify the values for MailTipsAllTipsEnabled,

MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled, and MailTipsGroupMetricsEnabled

are set to True and MailTipsLargeAudienceThreshold is set to an acceptable

value; 25 is the default value.

Remediation:

To enable MailTips, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Run Microsoft Exchange Online PowerShell Module

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipsAllTipsEnabled $true -

MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled $true -MailTipsGroupMetricsEnabled

$true -MailTipsLargeAudienceThreshold '25'

Default Value:

MailTipsAllTipsEnabled: True MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled: False

MailTipsGroupMetricsEnabled: True MailTipsLargeAudienceThreshold: 25

Page 142

5 Auditing

Page 143

5.1 (L1) Ensure Microsoft 365 audit log search is Enabled

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

When audit log search in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal is enabled, user and

admin activity from your organization is recorded in the audit log and retained for 90

days. However, your organization might be using a third-party security information and

event management (SIEM) application to access your auditing data. In that case, a

global admin can turn off audit log search in Microsoft 365.

Rationale:

Enabling Microsoft Purview audit log search helps Office 365 back office teams to

investigate activities for regular security operational or forensic purposes.

Audit:

To verify audit log search is enabled, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in as an administrator.

2. Navigate to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal by going to

https://compliance.office.com

3. Under Solutions, select Audit then select an applicable time frame.

4. Verify that you are able to do searches (e.g. try searching for Activities as

Accessed file and results should be displayed).

To verify audit log search is enabled, use the Exchange Online PowerShell

Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-AdminAuditLogConfig | FL UnifiedAuditLogIngestionEnabled

3. Verify the resulting value is UnifiedAuditLogIngestionEnabled : True.

Page 144

Remediation:

To enable Microsoft 365 audit log search, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in as an administrator.

2. Navigate to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal by going to

https://compliance.office.com

3. Under Solutions, select Audit.

4. Click Start recording user and admin activity next to the information warning

at the top.

5. Click Yes on the dialog box to confirm.

To enable Microsoft 365 audit log search via Exchange Online PowerShell:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Set-AdminAuditLogConfig -UnifiedAuditLogIngestionEnabled $true

Default Value:

disabled

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/securitycompliance/turn-audit-log-

search-on-or-off

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/set-

adminauditlogconfig?view=exchange-ps

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.2 Collect Audit Logs

Collect audit logs. Ensure that logging, per the enterprise’s audit log

management process, has been enabled across enterprise assets.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 145

5.2 (L1) Ensure mailbox auditing for all users is Enabled

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

By turning on mailbox auditing, Microsoft 365 back office teams can track logons to a

mailbox as well as what actions are taken while the user is logged on. After you turn on

mailbox audit logging for a mailbox, you can search the audit log for mailbox activity.

Additionally, when mailbox audit logging is turned on, some actions performed by

administrators, delegates, and owners are logged by default.

Rationale:

Starting in January 2019, Microsoft is turning on mailbox audit logging by default for all

organizations. This means that certain actions performed by mailbox owners, delegates,

and admins are automatically logged, and the corresponding mailbox audit records will

be available when you search for them in the mailbox audit log. When mailbox auditing

on by default is turned on for the organization, the AuditEnabled property for affected

mailboxes won't be changed from False to True. In other words, mailbox auditing on by

default ignores the AuditEnabled property on mailboxes. However, only certain mailbox

types support default auditing On

• User Mailboxes

• Shared Mailboxes

• Microsoft 365 Group Mailboxes

The remaining mailbox types require auditing be turned on at the mailbox level:

• Resource Mailboxes

• Public Folder Mailboxes

• DiscoverySearch Mailbox

Whether it is for regulatory compliance or for tracking unauthorized configuration

changes in Microsoft 365, enabling mailbox auditing allows for Microsoft 365 back office

teams to run security operations, forensics or general investigations on mailbox

activities.

NOTE: Without advanced auditing (E5 function) the logs are limited to 90 days.

Page 146

Audit:

To verify mailbox auditing is enabled by default, use the Exchange Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Run Microsoft Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-OrganizationConfig | Format-List AuditDisabled

4. Verify AuditDisabled is set to False.

To verify mailbox auditing is enabled for all mailboxes that don't support default

auditing, use the Exchange Online PowerShell Module:

1. Run Microsoft Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | Where-Object {$_.AuditEnabled -ne $true -

and ($_.RecipientTypeDetails -ne "UserMailbox" -or $_.RecipientTypeDetails -

ne "SharedMailbox")}

Alternatively you may run the following command:

Get-mailbox | Where AuditEnabled -Match 'False' | select UserPrincipalName,

auditenabled

4. Verify AuditEnabled is set to True for all mailboxes that are not a user, shared, or

group mailbox.

Page 147

Remediation:

To enable mailbox auditing for all users, use the Exchange Online PowerShell

Module:

1. Run Microsoft Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

2. Connect using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

3. Run the following PowerShell commands:

$AuditAdmin = @("Copy", "Create", "FolderBind",

"HardDelete", "MessageBind", "Move", "MoveToDeletedItems", "SendAs",

"SendOnBehalf", "SoftDelete", "Update", "UpdateCalendarDelegation",

"UpdateFolderPermissions", "UpdateInboxRules")

$AuditDelegate =

@("Create", "FolderBind", "HardDelete", "Move", "MoveToDeletedItems", "SendAs

", "SendOnBehalf", "SoftDelete", "Update", "UpdateFolderPermissions", "Update

InboxRules")

$AdminOwner =

@("Create", "HardDelete", "MailboxLogin", "Move", "MoveToDeletedItems", "Soft

Delete", "Update", "UpdateCalendarDelegation",

"UpdateFolderPermissions", "UpdateInboxRules")

Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | Set-Mailbox -AuditEnabled $true -

AuditLogAgeLimit 180 -AuditAdmin $AuditAdmin -AuditDelegate $AuditDelegate -

AuditOwner $AuditOwner

Default Value:

Only certain mailbox types support default auditing On:

• User Mailboxes

• Shared Mailboxes

• Microsoft 365 Group Mailboxes

The remaining mailbox types require auditing be turned on at the mailbox level:

• Resource Mailboxes

• Public Folder Mailboxes

• DiscoverySearch Mailbox

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/compliance/enable-mailbox-

auditing?view=o365-worldwide

Page 148

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.2 Collect Audit Logs

Collect audit logs. Ensure that logging, per the enterprise’s audit log

management process, has been enabled across enterprise assets.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 149

5.3 (L1) Ensure the Azure AD 'Risky sign-ins' report is reviewed at

least weekly (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

This report contains records of accounts that have had activity that could indicate they

are compromised, such as accounts that have:

• successfully signed in after multiple failures, which is an indication that the

accounts have cracked passwords

• signed in to your tenant from a client IP address that has been recognized by

Microsoft as an anonymous proxy IP address (such as a TOR network)

• successful sign-ins from users where two sign-ins appeared to originate from

different regions and the time between sign-ins makes it impossible for the user

to have traveled between those regions

Rationale:

Reviewing this report on a regular basis allows for identification and remediation of

compromised accounts.

Audit:

To verify the report is being reviewed at least weekly, confirm that the necessary

procedures are in place and being followed.

Remediation:

To review the report, perform the following steps using the Azure Portal:

1. Go to portal.azure.com.

2. Click Azure Active Directory.

3. Under Manage click on Security

4. Under Report click on Risky sign-ins

5. Review by Risk level (aggregate).

To get risky sign-ins event report programmatically, use following graph API:

https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/identityRiskEvents?$filter=riskEventDateTime

gt < 7 days older datetime > and riskEventStatus eq 'active'

Page 150

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/reports-

monitoring/concept-user-at-risk

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/reports-monitoring/howto-

remediate-users-flagged-for-risk

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 151

5.4 (L2) Ensure the Application Usage report is reviewed at least

weekly (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

The Application Usage report includes a usage summary for all Software as a Service

(SaaS) applications that are integrated with your directory.

Rationale:

Review the list of app registrations on a regular basis to look for risky apps that users

have enabled that could cause data spillage or accidental elevation of privilege.

Attackers can often get access to data illicitly through third-party SaaS applications.

Audit:

To verify the report is being reviewed at least weekly, confirm that the necessary

procedures are in place and being followed.

Remediation:

To review the report, perform the following steps using the Azure Portal:

1. Go to portal.azure.com.

2. Click Azure Active Directory.

3. Select Enterprise applications.

4. Review the information.

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 152

5.5 (L1) Ensure the self-service password reset activity report is

reviewed at least weekly (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

The Microsoft 365 platforms allow a user to reset their password in the event they forget

it. The self-service password reset activity report logs each time a user successfully

resets their password this way. You should review the self-service password reset

activity report at least weekly.

Rationale:

An attacker will commonly compromise an account, then change the password to

something they control and can manage.

Audit:

To verify the report is being reviewed at least weekly, confirm that the necessary

procedures are in place and being followed.

Remediation:

To review the report, perform the following steps using the Azure Portal:

1. Go to portal.azure.com.

2. Go to 'Azure Active Directory'.

3. Click on 'Usage & insights' under 'Monitoring'.

4. Select 'Authentication methods activity' and the 'Usage' tab.

5. Review the list of users who have reset their passwords in the last seven days by

clicking 'Self-service password resets and account unlocks by method'.

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 153

5.6 (L1) Ensure user role group changes are reviewed at least

weekly (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Role-Based Access Control allows for permissions to be assigned to users based on

their roles within an organization. It is more manageable form of access control that is

less prone to errors. These user roles can be audited inside of Microsoft Purview to

provide a security auditor insight into user privilege change.

Rationale:

Weekly reviews provide an opportunity to identify rights changes in an organization and

is a large part of maintaining Least Privilege and preventing Privilege creep. Insider

Threats, either intentional or unintentional can occur when a user has higher than

needed privileges. Maintaining accountability of role membership will keep Insiders and

malicious actors limited in the scope of potential damaging activities.

Impact:

By performing regular reviews the Administrators assigning rights to users will need to

inevitably provide justification for those changes to security auditors. Documentation

that includes detailed policies, procedures, and change requests will need to be

considered in order to keep a secure organization functioning within it's planned

operational level.

Audit:

To verify user role group changes are being reviewed at least weekly, confirm that the

necessary procedures are in place and being followed.

Page 154

Remediation:

To review user role group changes, perform the following steps using the

Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Beneath Admin centers Click on Compliance to be redirected to Microsoft

Purview.

2. Click on Audit then select Search.

3. In Activities find Added member to Role under the Role administration

activities section.

4. Set Start Date and End Date.

5. Click Search.

6. Review.

To review user role group changes, perform the following steps using Exchange

Online PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

$startDate = ((Get-date).AddDays(-7)).ToShortDateString()

$endDate = (Get-date).ToShortDateString()

Search-UnifiedAuditLog -StartDate $startDate -EndDate $endDate | Where-Object

{ $_.Operations -eq "Add member to role." }

3. Review the output

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/search-

unifiedauditlog?view=exchange-ps

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 155

5.7 (L1) Ensure mail forwarding rules are reviewed at least weekly

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

The Exchange Online environment can be configured in a way that allows for automatic

forwarding of e-mail. This can be done using Transport Rules in the Admin Center, Auto

Forwarding per mailbox, and client-based rules in Outlook. Administrators and users

both are given several methods to automatically and quickly send e-mails outside of

your organization.

Rationale:

Reviewing mail forwarding rules will provide the Messaging Administrator insight into

possible attempts to exfiltrate data from the organization. Weekly review helps create a

recognition of baseline, legitimate activity of users. This will aide in helping identify the

more malicious activity of bad actors when/if they choose to use this side-channel.

Impact:

There is no impacting to reviewing these reports.

Audit:

To verify mail forwarding rules are being reviewed at least weekly, confirm that the

necessary procedures are in place and being followed by the assigned employee.

Remediation:

To review mail forwarding rules, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Go to Exchange admin center.

2. Expand Reports then select Mail flow.

3. Click on Auto forwarded messages report.

4. Review

Note: Mail flow reports cannot be viewed from the Classic Exchange Admin Center

Page 156

To review mail forwarding rules, use the following PowerShell script:

Uses the administrator user credential to export Mail forwarding rules, User Delegates

and SMTP Forwarding policies to multiple csv files. First connect to Exchange Online

and Azure Active Directory by using both Connect-ExchangeOnline and Connect-

MsolService

$allUsers = @()

$AllUsers = Get-MsolUser -All -EnabledFilter EnabledOnly | select ObjectID,

UserPrincipalName, FirstName, LastName, StrongAuthenticationRequirements,

StsRefreshTokensValidFrom, StrongPasswordRequired,

LastPasswordChangeTimestamp | Where-Object {($_.UserPrincipalName -notlike

"*#EXT#*")}

$UserInboxRules = @()

$UserDelegates = @()

foreach ($User in $allUsers)

{

Write-Host "Checking inbox rules and delegates for user: "

$User.UserPrincipalName;

$UserInboxRules += Get-InboxRule -Mailbox $User.UserPrincipalname |

Select Name, Description, Enabled, Priority, ForwardTo,

ForwardAsAttachmentTo, RedirectTo, DeleteMessage | Where-Object

{($_.ForwardTo -ne $null) -or ($_.ForwardAsAttachmentTo -ne $null) -or

($_.RedirectsTo -ne $null)}

$UserDelegates += Get-MailboxPermission -Identity $User.UserPrincipalName

| Where-Object {($_.IsInherited -ne "True") -and ($_.User -notlike "*SELF*")}

}

$SMTPForwarding = Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | select

DisplayName,ForwardingAddress,ForwardingSMTPAddress,DeliverToMailboxandForwar

d | where {$_.ForwardingSMTPAddress -ne $null}

# Export list of inboxRules, Delegates and SMTP Forwards

$UserInboxRules | Export-Csv MailForwardingRulesToExternalDomains.csv

$UserDelegates | Export-Csv MailboxDelegatePermissions.csv

$SMTPForwarding | Export-Csv Mailboxsmtpforwarding.csv

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 157

5.8 (L1) Ensure all security threats in the Threat protection status

report are reviewed at least weekly (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should review all the security threats in the Threat protection status report at least

weekly. This report shows specific instances of Microsoft blocking a malware

attachment from reaching your users, phishing being blocked, impersonation attempts,

etc.

Rationale:

While this report isn't strictly actionable, reviewing it will give you a sense of the overall

volume of various security threats targeting your users, which may prompt you to adopt

more aggressive threat mitigations.

Audit:

To verify the report is being reviewed at least weekly, confirm that the necessary

procedures are in place and being followed.

Remediation:

To review the report, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Security.

2. Click on Reports and under Email & collaboration select Email &

collaboration reports.

3. Under Threat protection status click on View details

4. Review the chart and look for Email Malware statistics.

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-security/view-

email-security-reports?view=o365-worldwide#threat-protection-status-report

Page 158

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 159

5.9 (L1) Ensure the Account Provisioning Activity report is

reviewed at least weekly (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

The Account Provisioning Activity report details any account provisioning that was

attempted by an external application.

Rationale:

If you don't usually use a third party provider to manage accounts, any entry on the list

is likely illicit. If you do, this is a great way to monitor transaction volumes and look for

new or unusual third party applications that are managing users. If you see something

unusual, contact the provider to determine if the action is legitimate.

Audit:

To verify the report is being reviewed at least weekly, confirm that the necessary

procedures are in place and being followed.

Remediation:

To review the report, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Go to Security.

2. Click on Audit then select Search.

3. Set Activities to Added user for User administration activities.

4. Set Start Date and End Date.

5. Click Search.

6. Review.

Page 160

To review Account Provisioning Activity report, use the Exchange Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online service using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following Exchange Online PowerShell command:

$startDate = ((Get-date).AddDays(-7)).ToShortDateString()

$endDate = (Get-date).ToShortDateString()

Search-UnifiedAuditLog -StartDate $startDate -EndDate $endDate | Where-Object

{ $_.Operations -eq "add user." }

3. Review the output

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 161

5.10 (L1) Ensure non-global administrator role group assignments

are reviewed at least weekly (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should review non-global administrator role group assignments at least every week.

Rationale:

While these roles are less powerful than a global admin, they do grant special privileges

that can be used illicitly. If you see something unusual, contact the user to confirm it is a

legitimate need.

Audit:

To verify non-global administrator role group assignments are being reviewed at least

weekly, confirm that the necessary procedures are in place and being followed.

Remediation:

To review non-global administrator role group assignments, use the Microsoft

365 Admin Center:

1. Go to Security.

2. Click on Audit then select Search.

3. Set Added member to Role and Removed a user from a directory role for

Activities

4. Set Start Date and End Date.

5. Click Search.

6. Review.

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 162

5.11 (L1) Ensure the spoofed domains report is reviewed weekly

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 1

Description:

Use spoof intelligence in the Security Center on the Anti-spam settings page to review

all senders who are spoofing either domains that are part of your organization, or

spoofing external domains. Spoof intelligence is available as part of Office 365

Enterprise E5 or separately as part of Defender for Office 365 and as of October, 2018

Exchange Online Protection (EOP).

Rationale:

Bad actors spoof domains to trick users into conducting actions they normally would not

or should not via phishing emails. Running this report will inform the message

administrators of current activities, and the phishing techniques used by bad actors.

This information can be used to inform end users and plan against future campaigns.

Audit:

To verify the report is being reviewed at least weekly, confirm that the necessary

procedures are in place and being followed.

Remediation:

To review the report, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Go to Security.

2. Under Email & collaboration click on Policies & rules then select Threat

policies.

3. Under Rules click on Tenant Allow / Block Lists then select Spoofing.

4. Review.

To view spoofed senders that were allowed or blocked by spoof intelligence

using the Exchange Online PowerShell module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-SpoofIntelligenceInsight

3. Review.

Page 163

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-security/learn-

about-spoof-intelligence?view=o365-worldwide

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/get-

spoofintelligenceinsight?view=exchange-ps

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 164

5.12 (L2) Ensure Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is Enabled

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E5 Level 2

Description:

Enabling Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps gives you insight into suspicious activity in

Microsoft 365 so you can investigate situations that are potentially problematic and, if

needed, take action to address security issues.

Rationale:

You can receive notifications of triggered alerts for atypical or suspicious activities, see

how your organization's data in Microsoft 365 is accessed and used, suspend user

accounts exhibiting suspicious activity, and require users to log back in to Microsoft 365

apps after an alert has been triggered.

Audit:

To verify Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is enabled, use the Microsoft 365

Admin Center:

1. Select Security.

2. Select More Resources.

3. Select Open under Microsoft Defender for Cloud App Security.

4. Ensure the dashboard opens and the feature is enabled.

Remediation:

To enable Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Select Security.

2. Select More Resources.

3. Select Open under Microsoft Defender for Cloud App Security.

4. Ensure the dashboard opens and the feature is enabled.

Additional Information:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-cloud-apps/get-started

Page 165

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

10.1 Deploy and Maintain Anti-Malware Software

Deploy and maintain anti-malware software on all enterprise assets.

●

10.5 Enable Anti-Exploitation Features

Enable anti-exploitation features on enterprise assets and software, where

possible, such as Microsoft® Data Execution Prevention (DEP), Windows®

Defender Exploit Guard (WDEG), or Apple® System Integrity Protection (SIP) and

Gatekeeper™.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

16 Account Monitoring and Control

Account Monitoring and Control

Page 166

5.13 (L1) Ensure the report of users who have had their email

privileges restricted due to spamming is reviewed (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Microsoft 365 Defender reviews of Restricted Entities will provide a list of user accounts

restricted from sending e-mail. If a user exceeds one of the outbound sending limits as

specified in the service limits or in outbound spam policies, the user is restricted from

sending email, but they can still receive email.

Rationale:

Users who are found on the restricted users list have a high probability of having been

compromised. Review of this list will allow an organization to remediate these user

accounts, and then unblock them.

Audit:

To verify the report is being reviewed at least weekly, confirm that the necessary

procedures are in place and being followed.

Remediation:

To review the report, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Click Security to open the Security portal.

2. Under Email & collaboration navigate to Review.

3. Click Restricted Entities.

4. Review alerts and take appropriate action (unblocking) after account has been

remediated.

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-

security/responding-to-a-compromised-email-account?view=o365-worldwide

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-

security/removing-user-from-restricted-users-portal-after-spam?view=o365-

worldwide

Page 167

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

8.11 Conduct Audit Log Reviews

Conduct reviews of audit logs to detect anomalies or abnormal events that

could indicate a potential threat. Conduct reviews on a weekly, or more frequent,

basis.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

Page 168

5.14 (L1) Ensure Guest Users are reviewed at least biweekly

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Guest users can be set up for those users not in your tenant to still be granted access to

resources. It is important to maintain visibility for what guest users are established in the

tenant.

Rationale:

Periodic review of guest users ensures proper access to resources in your tenant.

Audit:

To verify the report is being reviewed at least biweekly, confirm that the necessary

procedures are in place and being followed.

Remediation:

To view guest users, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Log in as an administrator

2. Navigate to the Users and Guest Users

3. Review the list of users

To verify Microsoft 365 audit log search is enabled, use the Microsoft Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Run Microsoft Online PowerShell Module

2. Connect using Connect-MsolService

3. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-MsolUser -all |Where-Object {$_.UserType -ne "Member"} |Select-Object

UserPrincipalName, UserType, CreatedDate

4. Review the list of users

Page 169

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

5.1 Establish and Maintain an Inventory of Accounts

Establish and maintain an inventory of all accounts managed in the enterprise.

The inventory must include both user and administrator accounts. The inventory, at

a minimum, should contain the person’s name, username, start/stop dates, and

department. Validate that all active accounts are authorized, on a recurring

schedule at a minimum quarterly, or more frequently.

●

5.3 Disable Dormant Accounts

Delete or disable any dormant accounts after a period of 45 days of inactivity,

where supported.

●

6.2 Activate audit logging

Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking

devices.

●

16.6 Maintain an Inventory of Accounts

Maintain an inventory of all accounts organized by authentication system.

●

Page 170

6 Storage

Page 171

6.1 (L2) Ensure document sharing is being controlled by domains

with whitelist or blacklist (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

You should control sharing of documents to external domains by either blocking

domains or only allowing sharing with specific named domains.

Rationale:

Attackers will often attempt to expose sensitive information to external entities through

sharing, and restricting the domains that your users can share documents with will

reduce that surface area.

Impact:

Enabling this feature will prevent users from sharing documents with domains outside of

the organization unless allowed.

Audit:

To verify document sharing settings, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Navigate to Microsoft 365 administration portal (https://admin.microsoft.com),

Click on Admin Centers and then SharePoint.

2. Expand Policies then click Sharing.

3. Expand More external sharing settings and confirm that Limit external

sharing by domain is checked.

4. Verify that an accurate list of allowed domains is listed.

To verify document sharing setting, you can also use SharePoint Online

PowerShell:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online using Connect-SPOService

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-SPOTenant | fl SharingDomainRestrictionMode,SharingAllowedDomainList

Page 172

Remediation:

To configure document sharing restrictions, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Navigate to Microsoft 365 administration portal (https://admin.microsoft.com),

Click on Admin Centers and then SharePoint.

2. Expand Policies then click Sharing.

3. Expand More external sharing settings and check Limit external sharing

by domain.

4. Select Add domains to add a list of approved domains

5. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

To configure document sharing restrictions, you can also use SharePoint Online

PowerShell:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online using Connect-SPOService

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Set-SPOTenant -SharingDomainRestrictionMode AllowList -

SharingAllowedDomainList "domain1.com domain2.com"

Default Value:

off

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists

Configure data access control lists based on a user’s need to know. Apply data

access control lists, also known as access permissions, to local and remote file

systems, databases, and applications.

●

13.4 Only Allow Access to Authorized Cloud Storage or

Email Providers

Only allow access to authorized cloud storage or email providers.

●

14.6 Protect Information through Access Control Lists

Protect all information stored on systems with file system, network share,

claims, application, or database specific access control lists. These controls will

enforce the principle that only authorized individuals should have access to the

information based on their need to access the information as a part of their

responsibilities.

●

Page 173

6.2 (L2) Block OneDrive for Business sync from unmanaged

devices (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

Microsoft OneDrive allows users to sign in their cloud tenant account, and begin syncing

select folders or the entire contents of OneDrive to a local computer. By default this

includes any computer with OneDrive already installed, whether or not it is Azure

Domain Joined or Active Directory Domain joined.

Rationale:

Unmanaged devices pose a risk, since their security cannot be verified through existing

security policies, brokers or endpoint protection. Allowing users to sync data to these

devices takes that data out of the control of the organization. This increases the risk of

the data either being intentionally or accidentally leaked.

Note: This setting is only applicable to Active Directory domains when operating in a

hybrid configuration. It does not apply to Azure AD domains. If you have devices which

are only Azure AD joined, consider using a Conditional Access Policy instead.

Impact:

Enabling this feature will prevent users from using the OneDrive for Business Sync

client on devices that are not joined to the domains that were defined.

Audit:

To verify sync settings on unmanaged devices, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Navigate to Microsoft 365 administration portal (https://admin.microsoft.com),

Click on All Admin Centers and then Show All, then SharePoint.

2. Now click Settings followed by OneDrive - Sync

3. Verify that Allow syncing only on computers joined to specific domains is

checked

4. Verify that the Active Directory domain GUIDS are listed in the box.

• Use the Get-ADDomain PowerShell command to obtain the GUID for each on-

premises domain

Page 174

To verify sync settings on unmanaged devices, you can also use SharePoint

Online PowerShell:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online using Connect-SPOService

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-SPOTenantSyncClientRestriction | fl

TenantRestrictionEnabled,AllowedDomainList

3. Verify TenantRestrictionEnabled is set to True and AllowedDomainList is

populated and valid.

Remediation:

To block the sync client on unmanaged devices, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Navigate to Microsoft 365 administration portal (https://admin.microsoft.com),

Click on All Admin Centers and then Show All, then SharePoint.

2. Now click Settings followed by OneDrive - Sync

3. Check the Allow syncing only on computers joined to specific domains

4. Use the Get-ADDomain PowerShell command to obtain the GUID from each

domain then add them to the box.

5. Click Save

To block the sync client on unmanaged devices, you can also use SharePoint

Online PowerShell:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online using Connect-SPOService

2. Run the following PowerShell command and provide the DomainGuids from the

Get-AADomain command:

Set-SPOTenantSyncClientRestriction -Enable -DomainGuids "786548DD-877B-4760-

A749-6B1EFBC1190A; 877564FF-877B-4760-A749-6B1EFBC1190A"

NOTE: Utilize the -BlockMacSync:$true parameter if you are not using conditional

access to ensure Macs cannot sync.

Default Value:

By default there is no domain restriction applied to the syncing of OneDrive.

Page 175

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/sharepoint-online/set-

spotenantsyncclientrestriction?view=sharepoint-ps

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/onedrive/allow-syncing-only-on-specific-

domains?WT.mc_id=365AdminCSH_spo

Page 176

6.3 (L1) Ensure expiration time for external sharing links is set

(Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

The external sharing features of Microsoft SharePoint let users in your organization

share content with people outside the organization (such as partners, vendors, clients,

or customers). External sharing in SharePoint is part of secure collaboration with

Microsoft 365.

Rationale:

An attacker can compromise a user account for a short period of time, send anonymous

sharing links to an external account, then take their time accessing the data. They can

also compromise external accounts and steal the anonymous sharing links sent to those

external entities well after the data has been shared. Restricting how long the links are

valid can reduce the window of opportunity for attackers.

Impact:

Enabling this feature will ensure that link expire within the defined number of days. This

will have an affect on links that were previously not set with an expiration.

Audit:

To verify anonymous access links are correctly set to expire, use the Microsoft

365 Admin Center:

1. Select Admin Centers and SharePoint.

2. Expand Polices then click Sharing.

3. Under Choose expiration and permissions options for Anyone links. verify if

These links must expire within this many days is checked.

4. Confirm the number of days is set to the desired value, such as 30.

Page 177

To verify anonymous links are correctly set to expire, you can also use

SharePoint Online PowerShell:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online using Connect-SPOService

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-SPOTenant | fl RequireAnonymousLinksExpireInDays

3. Verify that the returned value is at most 30 days but is not set to -1

Remediation:

To set expiration for anonymous access links, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center

1. Select Admin Centers and SharePoint

2. Expand Polices then click Sharing

3. Under Choose expiration and permissions options for Anyone links. check

the These links must expire within this many days

4. Set to the desired number of days, such as 30

5. Click Save

To set expiration for anonymous access links, you can also use SharePoint

Online PowerShell:

1. Connect to SharePoint Online using Connect-SPOService

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

set-SPOTenant -RequireAnonymousLinksExpireInDays 30

Default Value:

Anonymous Sharing - On

Sharing Links Expiration - Off

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/turn-external-sharing-on-or-off

Additional Information:

Setting links to expire in X number of days only applies in the most permissive sharing

mode which is the default setting. Organizations should decide on an organizational

level whether to allow external sharing and to what level.

Page 178

6.4 (L2) Ensure external storage providers available in Outlook on

the Web are restricted (Automated)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

You should restrict storage providers that are integrated with Outlook on the Web.

Rationale:

By default additional storage providers are allowed in Outlook on the Web (such as Box,

Dropbox, Facebook, Google Drive, OneDrive Personal, etc.). This could lead to

information leakage and additional risk of infection from organizational non-trusted

storage providers. Restricting this will inherently reduce risk as it will narrow

opportunities for infection and data leakage.

Impact:

Impact associated with this change is highly dependent upon current practices in the

tenant. If users do not use other storage providers, then minimal impact is likely.

However, if users do regularly utilize providers outside of the tenant this will affect their

ability to continue to do so.

Audit:

To verify external storage providers are disabled, use the Exchange Online

PowerShell Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Get-OwaMailboxPolicy | Format-Table Name, AdditionalStorageProvidersAvailable

3. Verify that the value returned is False.

Page 179

Remediation:

To disable external storage providers, use the Exchange Online PowerShell

Module:

1. Connect to Exchange Online using Connect-ExchangeOnline.

2. Run the following PowerShell command:

Set-OwaMailboxPolicy -Identity OwaMailboxPolicy-Default -

AdditionalStorageProvidersAvailable $false

3. Run the following Powershell command to verify that the value is now False:

Get-OwaMailboxPolicy | Format-Table Name, AdditionalStorageProvidersAvailable

Default Value:

Additional Storage Providers - True

References:

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/client-access/set-

owamailboxpolicy?view=exchange-ps

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists

Configure data access control lists based on a user’s need to know. Apply

data access control lists, also known as access permissions, to local and remote

file systems, databases, and applications.

●

13.1 Maintain an Inventory Sensitive Information

Maintain an inventory of all sensitive information stored, processed, or

transmitted by the organization's technology systems, including those located

onsite or at a remote service provider.

●

13.4 Only Allow Access to Authorized Cloud Storage or

Email Providers

Only allow access to authorized cloud storage or email providers.

●

Page 180

7 Mobile Device Management

Page 181

7.1 (L1) Ensure mobile device management policies are set to

require advanced security configurations (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should configure your mobile device management policies to require advanced

security configurations. If you do not require this, users will be able to connect from

devices that are vulnerable to basic exploits, leading to potential breaches of accounts

and data.

Rationale:

Managing mobile devices in your organization, helps provide a basic level of security to

protect against attacks from these platforms. For example ensure that the device is up

to date on patches or is not rooted. These configurations open those devices to

vulnerabilities that are addressed in patched versions of the mobile OS.

Impact:

The impact associated with this change is dependent upon the settings specified in the

mobile device configuration profile.

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Ensure that profiles exist and are assigned for relevant mobile device types

Remediation:

To set mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Select Create profile to create a new profile. Select the appropriate Platform

and settings from the configuration screens.

Page 182

CIS Controls:

Controls

Version

Control

IG 1

IG 2

IG 3

4.1 Establish and Maintain a Secure Configuration Process

Establish and maintain a secure configuration process for enterprise assets

(end-user devices, including portable and mobile, non-computing/IoT devices, and

servers) and software (operating systems and applications). Review and update

documentation annually, or when significant enterprise changes occur that could

impact this Safeguard.

●

5.1 Establish Secure Configurations

Maintain documented, standard security configuration standards for all

authorized operating systems and software.

●

Page 183

7.2 (L1) Ensure that mobile device password reuse is prohibited

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should not allow your users to reuse the same password on their mobile devices.

Rationale:

Devices without this protection are vulnerable to being accessed by attackers who can

then steal account credentials, data, or install malware on the device. Choosing unique

and unused passwords every time a password changes on mobile devices lessens the

likelihood that the password can be guessed by an attacker.

Impact:

This change will have a moderate user impact

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Device restrictions section under Password and verify Prevent

reuse of previous passwords is set to 5.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Select Create profile

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate Platform and select Device

restrictions

5. In the Password section, ensure that Prevent reuse of previous passwords is

set to 5.

Default Value:

Password reuse is not enforced by default.

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5.2 Use Unique Passwords

Use unique passwords for all enterprise assets. Best practice implementation

includes, at a minimum, an 8-character password for accounts using MFA and a

14-character password for accounts not using MFA.

●

4.4 Use Unique Passwords

Where multi-factor authentication is not supported (such as local administrator,

root, or service accounts), accounts will use passwords that are unique to that

system.

●

5.1 Establish Secure Configurations

Maintain documented, standard security configuration standards for all

authorized operating systems and software.

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Page 185

7.3 (L1) Ensure that mobile devices are set to never expire

passwords (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

Ensure that users passwords on their mobile devices, never expire.

Rationale:

While this is not the most intuitive recommendation, research has found that when

periodic password resets are enforced, passwords become weaker as users tend to

pick something weaker and then use a pattern of it for rotation. If a user creates a

strong password: long, complex and without any pragmatic words present, it should

remain just as strong is 60 days as it is today. It is Microsoft's official security position to

not expire passwords periodically without a specific reason.

Impact:

This setting should not cause a noticeable impact to users

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profile, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Device Management under Admin Centers.

2. Select Devices, then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Device restrictions section and under Password verify that

passwords are not configured to expire.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Device Management under Admin Centers.

2. Select Devices, then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles.

4. From there, go to the device policies page to remove any device security policies

that expire passwords.

Default Value:

Password changes are not required by default

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5.2 Use Unique Passwords

Use unique passwords for all enterprise assets. Best practice implementation

includes, at a minimum, an 8-character password for accounts using MFA and a

14-character password for accounts not using MFA.

●

5.1 Establish Secure Configurations

Maintain documented, standard security configuration standards for all

authorized operating systems and software.

●

16 Account Monitoring and Control

Account Monitoring and Control

Page 187

7.4 (L1) Ensure that users cannot connect from devices that are

jail broken or rooted (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should not allow your users to use to connect with mobile devices that have been

jail broken or rooted.

Rationale:

These devices have had basic protections disabled to run software that is often

malicious and could very easily lead to an account or data breach.

Impact:

Impact should be minimal however, in the event that a device is Jailbroken or running a

developer build of a mobile Operating System it will be blocked from connecting.

Audit:

To verify mobile device management policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Device Health section under Settings and verify Jailbroken

devices or Rooted devices is set to Block.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Select Create Policy

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate Platform

5. Under Settings and Device Health ensure that Jailbroken devices or Rooted

devices is set to Block.

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1.2 Address Unauthorized Assets

Ensure that a process exists to address unauthorized assets on a weekly

basis. The enterprise may choose to remove the asset from the network, deny the

asset from connecting remotely to the network, or quarantine the asset.

●

18.3 Verify That Acquired Software is Still Supported

Verify that the version of all software acquired from outside your organization is

still supported by the developer or appropriately hardened based on developer

security recommendations.

●

18.4 Only Use Up-to-date And Trusted Third-Party

Components

Only use up-to-date and trusted third-party components for the software

developed by the organization.

●

Page 189

7.5 (L2) Ensure mobile devices are set to wipe on multiple sign-in

failures to prevent brute force compromise (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

Require mobile devices to wipe on multiple sign-in failures

Rationale:

Devices without this protection are vulnerable to being accessed physically by attackers

who can then steal account credentials, data, or install malware on the device.

Impact:

This setting has no impact, unless a user mistypes their password multiple times and

causes their device to wipe. In that case, it will have a high user impact.

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Password section under Device restrictions and verify Number of

sign-in failures before wiping device is set to 10.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Select Create profile

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate Platform and select Device

restrictions

5. In the Password section, ensure that Number of sign-in failures before

wiping device is set to 10.

Default Value:

The default is to not wipe the device on multiple failed attempts.

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4.1 Establish and Maintain a Secure Configuration Process

Establish and maintain a secure configuration process for enterprise assets

(end-user devices, including portable and mobile, non-computing/IoT devices, and

servers) and software (operating systems and applications). Review and update

documentation annually, or when significant enterprise changes occur that could

impact this Safeguard.

●

5.1 Establish Secure Configurations

Maintain documented, standard security configuration standards for all

authorized operating systems and software.

●

16.7 Establish Process for Revoking Access

Establish and follow an automated process for revoking system access by

disabling accounts immediately upon termination or change of responsibilities of an

employee or contractor . Disabling these accounts, instead of deleting accounts,

allows preservation of audit trails.

●

Page 191

7.6 (L1) Ensure that mobile devices require a minimum password

length to prevent brute force attacks (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should require your users to use a minimum password length of at least six

characters to unlock their mobile devices.

Rationale:

Devices without this protection are vulnerable to being accessed physically by attackers

who can then steal account credentials, data, or install malware on the device.

Impact:

This change has potentially high user impact depending on the willingness and

awareness of the end-user.

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Password section under Device restrictions and verify Minimum

password length is set to 6.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Select Create profile

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate Platform and select Device

restrictions

5. In the Password section, ensure that Minimum password length is set to 6.

Default Value:

Minimum password lengths are not enforced by default

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5.2 Use Unique Passwords

Use unique passwords for all enterprise assets. Best practice implementation

includes, at a minimum, an 8-character password for accounts using MFA and a

14-character password for accounts not using MFA.

●

4.4 Use Unique Passwords

Where multi-factor authentication is not supported (such as local administrator,

root, or service accounts), accounts will use passwords that are unique to that

system.

●

Page 193

7.7 (L1) Ensure devices lock after a period of inactivity to prevent

unauthorized access (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should require your users to configure their mobile devices to lock on inactivity.

Rationale:

Attackers can steal unlocked devices and access data and account information.

Impact:

This setting has a low impact on users.

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Password section under Device restrictions

5. Verify Maximum minutes of inactivity until screen lock is set to 5 and

Maximum minutes after screen lock before password is required is set to

Immediately

Remediation:

To set mobile device management policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Select Create profile

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate Platform and select Device

restrictions

5. In the Password section, ensure that Maximum minutes of inactivity until

screen lock is set to 5 and Maximum minutes after screen lock before

password is required is set to Immediately

Default Value:

Screen locking is not enabled by default.

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4.3 Configure Automatic Session Locking on Enterprise

Assets

Configure automatic session locking on enterprise assets after a defined period

of inactivity. For general purpose operating systems, the period must not exceed

15 minutes. For mobile end-user devices, the period must not exceed 2 minutes.

●

5 Secure Configuration for Hardware and Software on

Mobile Devices, Laptops, Workstations and Servers

Secure Configuration for Hardware and Software on Mobile Devices, Laptops,

Workstations and Servers

16.11 Lock Workstation Sessions After Inactivity

Automatically lock workstation sessions after a standard period of inactivity.

●

Page 195

7.8 (L1) Ensure that mobile device encryption is enabled to

prevent unauthorized access to mobile data (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should require your users to use encryption on their mobile devices.

Rationale:

Unencrypted devices can be stolen and their data extracted by an attacker very easily.

Impact:

This setting should have no user impact, provided the device supports the feature.

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for Android.

4. Review the Password section under Device restrictions and verify Encryption

is set to Require.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Select Create profile

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose Android as the Platform and select Device

restrictions

5. In the Password section, ensure that Encryption is set to Require.

Default Value:

Device encryption is not required by the O365 platform by default, although some

mobile platforms are encrypted by default.

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3.6 Encrypt Data on End-User Devices

Encrypt data on end-user devices containing sensitive data. Example

implementations can include: Windows BitLocker®, Apple FileVault®, Linux®

dm-crypt.

●

5 Secure Configuration for Hardware and Software on

Mobile Devices, Laptops, Workstations and Servers

Secure Configuration for Hardware and Software on Mobile Devices,

Laptops, Workstations and Servers

13.6 Encrypt the Hard Drive of All Mobile Devices.

Utilize approved whole disk encryption software to encrypt the hard drive of

all mobile devices.

●

Page 197

7.9 (L1) Ensure that mobile devices require complex passwords

(Type = Alphanumeric) (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should require your users to use a complex password with a at least two character

sets (letters and numbers, for example) to unlock their mobile devices.

Rationale:

Devices without this protection are vulnerable to being accessed physically by attackers

who can then steal account credentials, data, or install malware on the device.

Impact:

This setting will have a moderate user impact

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Password section under Device restrictions and verify Required

password type is set to Alphanumeric.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Select Create profile

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate Platform and select Device

restrictions

5. In the Password section, ensure that Required password type is set to

Alphanumeric.

Default Value:

This setting is not enabled by default.

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5.2 Use Unique Passwords

Use unique passwords for all enterprise assets. Best practice implementation

includes, at a minimum, an 8-character password for accounts using MFA and a

14-character password for accounts not using MFA.

●

4.4 Use Unique Passwords

Where multi-factor authentication is not supported (such as local administrator,

root, or service accounts), accounts will use passwords that are unique to that

system.

●

5 Secure Configuration for Hardware and Software on

Mobile Devices, Laptops, Workstations and Servers

Secure Configuration for Hardware and Software on Mobile Devices, Laptops,

Workstations and Servers

Page 199

7.10 (L1) Ensure that mobile devices require complex passwords

(Simple Passwords = Blocked) (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should require your users to use a complex password to unlock their mobile

devices.

Rationale:

Devices without this protection are vulnerable to being accessed physically by attackers

who can then steal account credentials, data, or install malware on the device.

Impact:

This has a moderate impact on users

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Password section under Device restrictions and verify Simple

Passwords is set to Blocked.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Configuration profiles

3. Select Create profile

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate Platform and select Device

restrictions

5. In the Password section, ensure that Simple Passwords is set to Blocked.

Default Value:

This setting is not enabled by default

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5.2 Use Unique Passwords

Use unique passwords for all enterprise assets. Best practice implementation

includes, at a minimum, an 8-character password for accounts using MFA and a

14-character password for accounts not using MFA.

●

4.4 Use Unique Passwords

Where multi-factor authentication is not supported (such as local administrator,

root, or service accounts), accounts will use passwords that are unique to that

system.

●

5.1 Establish Secure Configurations

Maintain documented, standard security configuration standards for all

authorized operating systems and software.

●

Page 201

7.11 (L1) Ensure that devices connecting have AV and a local

firewall enabled (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should configure your mobile device management policies to require the PC to

have anti-virus and have a firewall enabled.

Rationale:

If you do not require this, users will be able to connect from devices that are vulnerable

to basic internet attacks, leading to potential breaches of accounts and data.

Impact:

Impact should be minimal however, in the event that a device is not running appropriate

protection it will be blocked from connecting.

Audit:

To verify mobile device management policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Compliance policies

3. Review the list of policies. Ensure that a policy exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Properties section of each policy. Under Settings and System

Security verify the value for Firewall, Antivirus, and Antispyware are all set to

Require.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Under Admin Centers select Endpoint Management.

2. Select Devices and then under Policy select Compliance policies

3. Select Create Policy

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate PC Platform

5. Select System Security under Settings.

6. Under Device Security set the values for Firewall, Antivirus, and Antispyware

all to Require.

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4.5 Implement and Manage a Firewall on End-User

Devices

Implement and manage a host-based firewall or port-filtering tool on end-user

devices, with a default-deny rule that drops all traffic except those services and

ports that are explicitly allowed.

●

10.1 Deploy and Maintain Anti-Malware Software

Deploy and maintain anti-malware software on all enterprise assets.

●

8.1 Utilize Centrally Managed Anti-malware Software

Utilize centrally managed anti-malware software to continuously monitor and

defend each of the organization's workstations and servers.

●

8.2 Ensure Anti-Malware Software and Signatures are

Updated

Ensure that the organization's anti-malware software updates its scanning

engine and signature database on a regular basis.

●

9.4 Apply Host-based Firewalls or Port Filtering

Apply host-based firewalls or port filtering tools on end systems, with a

default-deny rule that drops all traffic except those services and ports that are

explicitly allowed.

●

Page 203

7.12 (L2) Ensure mobile device management policies are required

for email profiles (Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 2

Description:

You should configure your mobile device management policies to require the policy to

manage the email profile of the user.

Rationale:

If you do not require this, users will be able to setup and configure email accounts

without the protections of the mobile device management policy, leading to potential

breaches of accounts and data.

Impact:

This setting will have a moderate impact on users

Audit:

To verify mobile device management policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Select Device Management under Admin Centers.

2. Select Device compliance and then under Policy select Compliance policies

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Email section under Settings and verify Require mobile devices to

have a managed email profile is set to Require.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management policies, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Device Management under Admin Centers.

2. Select Device compliance and then under Policy select Compliance policies

3. Select Create Policy

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate Platform

5. Under Settings and Email ensure that Require mobile devices to have a

managed email profile is set to Require.

Default Value:

This setting is not enabled by default

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4.1 Establish and Maintain a Secure Configuration Process

Establish and maintain a secure configuration process for enterprise assets

(end-user devices, including portable and mobile, non-computing/IoT devices, and

servers) and software (operating systems and applications). Review and update

documentation annually, or when significant enterprise changes occur that could

impact this Safeguard.

●

7 Email and Web Browser Protections

Email and Web Browser Protections

7.1 Ensure Use of Only Fully Supported Browsers and

Email Clients

Ensure that only fully supported web browsers and email clients are allowed to

execute in the organization, ideally only using the latest version of the browsers and

email clients provided by the vendor.

●

Page 205

7.13 (L1) Ensure mobile devices require the use of a password

(Manual)

Profile Applicability:

• E3 Level 1

Description:

You should require your users to use a password to unlock their mobile devices.

Rationale:

Devices without this protection are vulnerable to being accessed physically by attackers

who can then steal account credentials, data, or install malware on the device.

Impact:

This change will require users to provide a password to unlock their mobile device after

the timeout period expires

Audit:

To verify mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin

Center:

1. Select Device Management under Admin Centers.

2. Select Device configuration and then under Policy select Configuration

profiles

3. Review the list of profiles. Ensure that a profile exists for each Platform.

4. Review the Password section under Device restrictions and verify Password is

set to Require.

Remediation:

To set mobile device management profiles, use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Select Device Management under Admin Centers.

2. Select Device configuration and then under Policy select Configuration

profiles

3. Select Create profile

4. Set a Name for the policy, choose the appropriate Platform and select Device

restrictions

5. In the Password section, ensure that Password is set to Require.

Default Value:

This setting is not enabled by default.

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5.2 Use Unique Passwords

Use unique passwords for all enterprise assets. Best practice implementation

includes, at a minimum, an 8-character password for accounts using MFA and a

14-character password for accounts not using MFA.

●

4.4 Use Unique Passwords

Where multi-factor authentication is not supported (such as local administrator,

root, or service accounts), accounts will use passwords that are unique to that

system.

●

5.1 Establish Secure Configurations

Maintain documented, standard security configuration standards for all

authorized operating systems and software.

●

Page 207

Appendix: Summary Table

CIS Benchmark Recommendation

Set

Correctly

Yes

Account / Authentication

1.1

Azure Active Directory

1.1.1

(L1) Ensure multifactor authentication is enabled for all

users in administrative roles (Automated)



1.1.2

(L2) Ensure multifactor authentication is enabled for all

users in all roles (Manual)



1.1.3

(L1) Ensure that between two and four global admins are

designated (Automated)



1.1.4

(L1) Ensure self-service password reset is enabled

(Manual)



1.1.5

(L1) Ensure that password protection is enabled for

Active Directory (Manual)



1.1.6

(L1) Enable Conditional Access policies to block legacy

authentication (Automated)



1.1.7

(L1) Ensure that password hash sync is enabled for

hybrid deployments (Manual)



1.1.8

(L2) Enable Azure AD Identity Protection sign-in risk

policies (Manual)



1.1.9

(L2) Enable Azure AD Identity Protection user risk

policies (Manual)



1.1.10

(L2) Use Just In Time privileged access to Office 365

roles (Manual)



1.1.11

(L1) Ensure Security Defaults is disabled on Azure

Active Directory (Manual)



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1.1.12

(L2) Ensure that only organizationally

managed/approved public groups exist (Manual)



1.1.13

(L2) Ensure that collaboration invitations are sent to

allowed domains only (Manual)



1.1.14

(L2) Ensure that LinkedIn contact synchronization is

disabled. (Manual)



1.1.15

(L1) Ensure Sign-in frequency is enabled and browser

sessions are not persistent for Administrative users.

(Manual)



1.1.16

(L2) Ensure the option to remain signed in is hidden

(Manual)



1.2

(L1) Ensure modern authentication for Exchange Online

is enabled (Automated)



1.3

(L1) Ensure modern authentication for SharePoint

applications is required (Automated)



1.4

(L1) Ensure that Office 365 Passwords Are Not Set to

Expire (Automated)



1.5

(L1) Ensure Administrative accounts are separate and

cloud-only (Manual)



Application Permissions

2.1

(L2) Ensure third party integrated applications are not

allowed (Manual)



2.2

(L2) Ensure calendar details sharing with external users

is disabled (Automated)



2.3

(L2) Ensure Safe Links for Office Applications is Enabled

(Automated)



2.4

(L2) Ensure Safe Attachments for SharePoint, OneDrive,

and Microsoft Teams is Enabled (Automated)



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2.5

(L2) Ensure Office 365 SharePoint infected files are

disallowed for download (Automated)



2.6

(L2) Ensure user consent to apps accessing company

data on their behalf is not allowed (Automated)



2.7

(L2) Ensure the admin consent workflow is enabled

(Automated)



2.8

(L2) - Ensure users installing Outlook add-ins is not

allowed (Automated)



2.9

(L1) - Ensure users installing Word, Excel, and

PowerPoint add-ins is not allowed (Manual)



2.10

(L1) Ensure internal phishing protection for Forms is

enabled (Manual)



2.11

(L1) Ensure that Sways cannot be shared with people

outside of your organization (Manual)



Data Management

3.1

(L2) Ensure the customer lockbox feature is enabled

(Automated)



3.2

(L2) Ensure SharePoint Online Information Protection

policies are set up and used (Manual)



3.3

(L2) Ensure external domains are not allowed in Skype

or Teams (Manual)



3.4

(L1) Ensure DLP policies are enabled (Automated)



3.5

(L1) Ensure DLP policies are enabled for Microsoft

Teams (Manual)



3.6

(L2) Ensure that external users cannot share files,

folders, and sites they do not own (Automated)



3.7

(L2) Ensure external file sharing in Teams is enabled for

only approved cloud storage services (Manual)



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Yes

Email Security / Exchange Online

4.1

(L1) Ensure the Common Attachment Types Filter is

enabled (Automated)



4.2

(L1) Ensure Exchange Online Spam Policies are set to

notify administrators (Automated)



4.3

(L1) Ensure all forms of mail forwarding are blocked

and/or disabled (Automated)



4.4

(L1) Ensure mail transport rules do not whitelist specific

domains (Automated)



4.5

(L2) Ensure Safe Attachments policy is enabled

(Automated)



4.6

(L1) Ensure that an anti-phishing policy has been

created (Automated)



4.7

(L1) Ensure that DKIM is enabled for all Exchange

Online Domains (Automated)



4.8

(L1) Ensure that SPF records are published for all

Exchange Domains (Manual)



4.9

(L1) Ensure DMARC Records for all Exchange Online

domains are published (Manual)



4.10

(L1) Ensure notifications for internal users sending

malware is Enabled (Automated)



4.11

(L2) Ensure MailTips are enabled for end users

(Automated)



Auditing

5.1

(L1) Ensure Microsoft 365 audit log search is Enabled

(Automated)



5.2

(L1) Ensure mailbox auditing for all users is Enabled

(Automated)



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5.3

(L1) Ensure the Azure AD 'Risky sign-ins' report is

reviewed at least weekly (Manual)



5.4

(L2) Ensure the Application Usage report is reviewed at

least weekly (Manual)



5.5

(L1) Ensure the self-service password reset activity

report is reviewed at least weekly (Manual)



5.6

(L1) Ensure user role group changes are reviewed at

least weekly (Manual)



5.7

(L1) Ensure mail forwarding rules are reviewed at least

weekly (Manual)



5.8

(L1) Ensure all security threats in the Threat protection

status report are reviewed at least weekly (Manual)



5.9

(L1) Ensure the Account Provisioning Activity report is

reviewed at least weekly (Manual)



5.10

(L1) Ensure non-global administrator role group

assignments are reviewed at least weekly (Manual)



5.11

(L1) Ensure the spoofed domains report is reviewed

weekly (Automated)



5.12

(L2) Ensure Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is

Enabled (Manual)



5.13

(L1) Ensure the report of users who have had their email

privileges restricted due to spamming is reviewed

(Manual)



5.14

(L1) Ensure Guest Users are reviewed at least biweekly

(Manual)



Storage

6.1

(L2) Ensure document sharing is being controlled by

domains with whitelist or blacklist (Automated)



Page 212

CIS Benchmark Recommendation

Set

Correctly

Yes

6.2

(L2) Block OneDrive for Business sync from unmanaged

devices (Automated)



6.3

(L1) Ensure expiration time for external sharing links is

set (Automated)



6.4

(L2) Ensure external storage providers available in

Outlook on the Web are restricted (Automated)



Mobile Device Management

7.1

(L1) Ensure mobile device management policies are set

to require advanced security configurations (Manual)



7.2

(L1) Ensure that mobile device password reuse is

prohibited (Manual)



7.3

(L1) Ensure that mobile devices are set to never expire

passwords (Manual)



7.4

(L1) Ensure that users cannot connect from devices that

are jail broken or rooted (Manual)



7.5

(L2) Ensure mobile devices are set to wipe on multiple

sign-in failures to prevent brute force compromise

(Manual)



7.6

(L1) Ensure that mobile devices require a minimum

password length to prevent brute force attacks (Manual)



7.7

(L1) Ensure devices lock after a period of inactivity to

prevent unauthorized access (Manual)



7.8

(L1) Ensure that mobile device encryption is enabled to

prevent unauthorized access to mobile data (Manual)



7.9

(L1) Ensure that mobile devices require complex

passwords (Type = Alphanumeric) (Manual)



7.10

(L1) Ensure that mobile devices require complex

passwords (Simple Passwords = Blocked) (Manual)



Page 213

CIS Benchmark Recommendation

Set

Correctly

Yes

7.11

(L1) Ensure that devices connecting have AV and a local

firewall enabled (Manual)



7.12

(L2) Ensure mobile device management policies are

required for email profiles (Manual)



7.13

(L1) Ensure mobile devices require the use of a

password (Manual)



Page 214

Appendix: Change History

Date

Version

Changes for this version

3/15/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Cannot audit LinkedIn Contact sync programmatically - Make

Manual

Ticket #15139

3/22/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - API is available to assess Password Protection

Ticket #14800

3/24/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Audit Procedure Wording for skype/teams

Ticket #15103

3/24/2022

1.5.0

MOVED - Ensure Safe Links for Office Applications is Enabled moved

under section 2 - ensure safe links for office apps.

Ticket #15026

3/24/2022

1.5.0

MOVED - What is difference between the checks 4.5 and 2.3 ? (Safe

Links for Exchange and Office Apps)

Ticket #14991

5/17/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Safe Links Policy cmdlet: the parameter 'IsEnabled' is no

longer supported.

Ticket #15493

5/17/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Remove AdminAuditLogEnabled - ON-PREM only command

Ticket #15109

5/20/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Audit DLP for Teams via PowerShell

Ticket #14990

6/27/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Parameter AllowClickThrough is deprecated for

SafeLinksPolicy

Ticket #14992

7/25/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - PowerShell cmdlet for assessing password hash sync

Ticket #15022

Page 215

Date

Version

Changes for this version

7/28/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Only works in the new Exchange Admin center, Fixed PS

remediation

Ticket #15972

8/2/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Clarify breadth of report

Ticket #16097

8/4/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - PowerShell guidance, Role Name to Role Object ID

Ticket #16125

8/4/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Missing a step

Ticket #15967

8/4/2022

1.5.0

REMOVE - Ensure modern authentication for Skype for Business Online

is enabled

Ticket #15719

8/5/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Improve PowerShell Audit Procedure guidance

Ticket #15970

8/5/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Block OneDrive, clarify scope and accuracy of

recommendation

Ticket #16147

8/5/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - PS cmdlet correction

Ticket #16140

8/8/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - DLP settings found in SecureScore Portal/API

Ticket #13747

8/8/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - 'Ensure the option to stay signed in' Audit and Remediation

steps

Ticket #16016

8/12/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Provide more detailed path for audit

Ticket #15968

8/12/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Safe Links Audit+Remediation Ticket #16025

Page 216

Date

Version

Changes for this version

8/12/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Connect-EXOPSSession V1 cmdlet replaced with V2

Connect-ExchangeOnline

Ticket #15942

8/12/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Ensure the spoofed domains report is reviewed weekly

Ticket #15317

8/12/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Microsoft Compliance became Microsoft Purview

Ticket #15432

8/12/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Fix rationale

Ticket #16107

8/15/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Role group changes procedures

Ticket #16037

8/15/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Password hash sync audit procedure

Ticket #16184

8/15/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - change 'unlicensed' to 'un-assigned' to clarify the point that

'apps' are not assigned.

Ticket #15015

8/15/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Implement Spam Filter Policy w/transport rule to simplify

Ticket #14642

8/15/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Modern Authentication Clients option no longer listed

Ticket #15318

8/15/2022

1.5.0

REMOVE - Non-Owners Report is deprecated

Ticket #16195

8/16/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Ensure notifications for internal users sending malware is

Enabled should be check for Default Policy or for all polices

Ticket #15725

8/18/2022

1.5.0

UPDATE - Ensure Safe Links for Office Applications is Enabled

Ticket #15482

Page 217